# If humans ran on gas...
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-humans-ran-on-gas/252013
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [June 24, 2004, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-humans-ran-on-gas/252013 "2004-06-24T14:14:25Z")
**Posts on this page:** 11
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@brane\_damaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brane_damaj)
#### Post date: [June 24, 2004, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-humans-ran-on-gas/252013/1 "2004-06-24T14:14:25Z")
If humans utilized gasoline for energy instead of carbs, fat, protein, and such, how much gas would they need to drink a day to keep a balanced weight?
Assumptions:
2000 Kcals are required a day
Unleaded
Regular
---
### Author:  [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)
#### Post date: [June 24, 2004, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-humans-ran-on-gas/252013/2 "2004-06-24T14:38:39Z")
According to this page, 1 gallon of gasoline equates to about 1.3 x 10[sup]8[/8] joules of energy. 1 food Colorie = 1000 calories = 4,184 joules. 2000 Calories would be 8.368 x 10[sup]6[/sup] joules, so you could get this by consuming .064 gallons of gasoline.
Of course, you’d probably get sick and die first. 😉
---
### Author:  [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)
#### Post date: [June 24, 2004, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-humans-ran-on-gas/252013/3 "2004-06-24T14:41:36Z")
Well, that was a mess. Let’s try this again. 1 gallon of gasoline equates to about 1.3 x 10[sup]8[/sup] joules of energy. 1 food Colorie = 1000 calories = 4,184 joules. 2000 Calories would be 8.368 x 10[sup]6[/sup] joules.
---
### Author:  [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)
#### Post date: [June 24, 2004, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-humans-ran-on-gas/252013/4 "2004-06-24T14:46:16Z")
> [@Q.E.D.](#):
>
> you could get this by consuming .064 gallons of gasoline.
That’s242 cubic cm, or 1.02 cups of gas.
---
### Author:  [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)
#### Post date: [June 24, 2004, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-humans-ran-on-gas/252013/5 "2004-06-24T14:53:07Z")
Sheesh. _And_ I forgot the link to [this page](http://physics.syr.edu/courses/modules/ENERGY/ENERGY_POLICY/tables.html) where I got the conversion factors from.
---
### Author:  [@brane\_damaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brane_damaj)
#### Post date: [June 24, 2004, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-humans-ran-on-gas/252013/6 "2004-06-24T15:20:33Z")
> [@Squink](#):
>
> That’s242 cubic cm, or 1.02 cups of gas.
Imagine how cool that would be. Get up in the morning, drink a cup of gasoline, and you’re good for the day. Of course, the depletion of our fossil fuels would mean our imminent starvation and extinction, but I think that’s a small price to pay for such convenience.
---
### Author:  [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)
#### Post date: [June 24, 2004, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-humans-ran-on-gas/252013/7 "2004-06-24T15:39:23Z")
OTOH, taking your date for a romantic meal at the Exxon station just doesn’t cut it.
“Try the 91 octane. The Techroline makes it truly superb.”
---
### Author:  [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)
#### Post date: [June 24, 2004, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-humans-ran-on-gas/252013/8 "2004-06-24T16:25:21Z")
The answers given so far are upper bounds. You can’t use 100% of the calories that you eat, though (google on “bioavailability”), so the actual yield would be slightly less.
---
### Author:  [@bughunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bughunter)
#### Post date: [June 24, 2004, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-humans-ran-on-gas/252013/9 "2004-06-24T17:11:24Z")
Mmmm… Gwondonaland Private Reserve 330,422,901 BC.
That was an excellent year.
---
### Author:  [@A2Steve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A2Steve)
#### Post date: [June 24, 2004, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-humans-ran-on-gas/252013/10 "2004-06-24T18:54:06Z")
> [@brane damaj](#):
>
> Get up in the morning, drink a cup of gasoline, and you’re good for the day.
For comparison with edible foodstuffs, you’d have to choke down 1.25 cups of butter for those 2000 calories. 🙂
---
### Author:  [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)
#### Post date: [June 24, 2004, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-humans-ran-on-gas/252013/11 "2004-06-24T19:25:19Z")
Imagine getting on a crowded elevator, the doors close, then a cloud of putrid exhaust rises.