Commute Distance Reference
One table, ten one-way distances from 1 km to 30 km, and every figure — door-to-door time, annual cost, CO2 saved, and battery use — computed live by the same Commute Time, Commute Cost, CO2 Savings, Range, and Charge Timecalculators use above. Nothing on this page is typed in separately — change the underlying math and this table changes with it.
Door-to-door time by mode
| One-way distance | Car | Transit | Bike / e-bike | E-scooter | Walk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 km | 12 min | 13 min | 3 min | 3 min | 12 min |
| 2 km | 14 min | 16 min | 7 min | 6 min | 24 min |
| 3 km | 16 min | 19 min | 10 min | 9 min | 36 min |
| 5 km | 21 min | 25 min | 17 min | 15 min | 1h 0m |
| 8 km | 27 min | 34 min | 27 min | 24 min | 1h 36m |
| 10 km | 31 min | 40 min | 33 min | 30 min | 2h 0m |
| 12 km | 36 min | 46 min | 40 min | 36 min | 2h 24m |
| 15 km | 42 min | 55 min | 50 min | 45 min | 3h 0m |
| 20 km | 53 min | 1h 10m | 1h 7m | 1h 0m | 4h 0m |
| 30 km | 1h 14m | 1h 40m | 1h 40m | 1h 30m | 6h 0m |
Computed by commuteTimes() with a 28 km/h car (10 min parking/walking overhead), a 20 km/h transit average (10 min waiting/walking overhead), an 18 km/h bike or e-bike, a 20 km/h e-scooter, and a 5km/h walking pace — the same defaults the Commute Time calculator starts with. Walking times past a few kilometres are shown for completeness, not as a realistic commute.
Annual cost by mode
| One-way distance | Car / year | Transit / year | Micro-mobility / year | Micro-mobility / one-way trip | Cheapest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 km | $53 | $1,375 | $2 | $0.00 | micro |
| 2 km | $107 | $1,375 | $5 | $0.00 | micro |
| 3 km | $160 | $1,375 | $7 | $0.00 | micro |
| 5 km | $267 | $1,375 | $11 | $0.00 | micro |
| 8 km | $427 | $1,375 | $18 | $0.00 | micro |
| 10 km | $533 | $1,375 | $23 | $0.00 | micro |
| 12 km | $640 | $1,375 | $27 | $0.10 | micro |
| 15 km | $800 | $1,375 | $34 | $0.10 | micro |
| 20 km | $1,067 | $1,375 | $45 | $0.10 | micro |
| 30 km | $1,600 | $1,375 | $68 | $0.10 | micro |
Computed by compareCommuteCost() for 10 one-way trips a week over 50weeks a year, using this table’s own example prices — see “Assumptions behind this table” below. The currency symbol is a placeholder; swap in your own fuel price, fuel economy, and fare at the calculator.
CO2 saved and battery use per commute
| One-way distance | CO2 saved / year | Trees equivalent | Battery used, round trip | Charge time needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 km | 81 kg | 3.9 | 8.3% | 28 min |
| 2 km | 162 kg | 7.7 | 16.7% | 56 min |
| 3 km | 243 kg | 11.6 | 25% | 1h 23m |
| 5 km | 405 kg | 19.3 | 41.7% | 2h 19m |
| 8 km | 648 kg | 30.9 | 66.7% | 3h 43m |
| 10 km | 810 kg | 38.6 | 83.3% | 4h 38m |
| 12 km | 972 kg | 46.3 | 100% | 5h 34m |
| 15 km | 1,215 kg | 57.9 | 125% | exceeds single charge |
| 20 km | 1,620 kg | 77.1 | 166.7% | exceeds single charge |
| 30 km | 2,430 kg | 115.7 | 250% | exceeds single charge |
CO2 figures come from co2Savings() at its own default assumption of 170 g CO2/km for a petrol car and 8g CO2/km for micro-mobility’s charging footprint — the calculator’s stated estimate, not a cited external study. Battery figures assume the reference pack below and 15 Wh/km of use, computed by estimateRange() and chargeTime().
Assumptions behind this table
A reference table has to fix some numbers to show any figures at all, so here they are, stated plainly rather than buried in the math. The commuting pattern is 10 one-way trips a week (a five-day, twice-a-day commute) over 50 weeks a year. The example prices are a fuel cost of 1.6 per litre, a car doing 15 km per litre (roughly a small hatchback), and a 2.75flat transit fare per one-way trip — none of these are universal, and your own fuel price, car, and local fare will differ. Micro-mobility electricity use is left at the Commute Cost calculator’s own default of 15 Wh per km and $0.30 per kWh.
The battery columns use one reference pack: a 36 V, 10 Ah battery (360 Wh nominal) on a 2 A charger, ridden at 15Wh per km — a size and consumption figure common to both e-bikes and e-scooters, not a spec for any specific model. At that consumption the pack’s one-way range is 24 km, so a same-day round trip without a top-up tops out at half that, 12 km one-way — which is exactly where the battery column switches from a charge time to “exceeds single charge.” Your own battery, charger, and consumption will differ; use the range and charge time calculators directly for your specific numbers.
CO2 emissions factors (170 g/km for a car, 8 g/km for micro-mobility’s share of grid electricity) and the 21 kg-CO2-per-tree-per-year figure are the CO2 Savings calculator’s own stated assumptions, carried through unchanged — not numbers attributed to any external study.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do the numbers in this table come from?
Every column is computed by calling this site's own calculator functions — commuteTimes() for the time columns, compareCommuteCost() for the cost columns, co2Savings() for the CO2 and trees columns, and estimateRange() plus chargeTime() for the battery columns — for each distance in the table. Nothing here is a separately typed-in number; a test in the codebase asserts the rendered table matches a fresh call to those same functions.
Why do the cost figures use a specific fuel price and transit fare?
compareCommuteCost() needs a fuel price, a car's fuel economy, and a transit fare to produce a cost at all — none of those have universal values, so this table states its own example figures plainly (see "Assumptions behind this table" below) rather than pretending to a real-world price. Your fuel price, transit fare, and car efficiency almost certainly differ — plug your own numbers into the Commute Cost Comparison Calculator to get a figure for your city.
What does "exceeds a single charge" mean in the battery column?
It means the reference battery in this table — 360 Wh, a common e-bike/e-scooter size — doesn't hold enough energy to cover that round trip at the table's 15 Wh/km energy-use figure without a mid-day top-up. At 12 km one-way the round trip uses exactly the full pack; beyond that, the table shows the shortfall rather than a charge time that would require a negative starting percentage.
Why is the transit cost the same shape at every distance, while car and micro-mobility costs scale up?
This table prices transit as a flat fare per one-way trip, which is how many transit systems actually charge — the annual total only changes with the number of trips, not the distance covered. Car and micro-mobility costs are priced per distance (fuel per litre, electricity per kWh), so their annual totals climb with the commute.
Educational reference only. Real commute times, costs, emissions, and battery use vary with traffic, local prices, rider weight, terrain, weather, and the specific vehicle — treat every figure here as a starting point for the calculators above, not a quote for your own commute.
Use it with
- Commute Time by Mode Calculator— run your own distance and speeds instead of this table’s defaults.
- Commute Cost Comparison Calculator— swap in your real fuel price, fuel economy, and transit fare.
- CO2 Emissions Saved Calculator— get the CO2 figure for your exact commute pattern.
- E-Bike & E-Scooter Range Calculator and Battery Charge Time Calculator— work out range and charge time for your actual battery, not the reference pack above.
- Door-to-Door Commute Time: E-Bike vs Car vs Transit and The CO2 Math of Switching a Commute — the guide versions of two of the tables above, with worked examples.