How many kilometers make 1 ecomile? The math is now transparent

We've updated the CO₂e conversion rates for every mode of transport, based on the latest public sources — and the rule fits in one sentence: 1 ecomile = 1 kg of CO₂e avoided.

Every ecomile you earn means exactly the same thing: 1 kilogram of CO₂e that never reached the atmosphere because you chose a cleaner way to move. The comparison is always against the same baseline — a private fossil-fuel car driving the very same route.

The table that matters

How far do you need to travel, in each mode, to earn 1 ecomile (and avoid 1 kg of CO₂e)? In Latin America:

In short: 10 km by train = 1 ecomile = 1 kg of CO₂e avoided. An 8 km e-bike commute is worth nearly the same. A week of 1.5 km daily walks quietly adds up to your first ecomile.

Why does walking "pay" more than the bus?

Because the math measures what you didn't emit. Walking emits zero — it avoids 100% of what the car would have emitted. The bus is still a great deal for the planet, but it burns diesel, and its emissions are shared among all passengers: there's less difference left to credit. That's arithmetic, not our preference.

Why do rates change from continent to continent?

Two reasons, both measurable.

1. The car you avoid isn't the same car. The average US fleet emits about 249 g of CO₂ per km (EPA); the European fleet, 166 g (DEFRA); the Brazilian fleet considerably less — smaller cars, with ethanol in the fuel blend. Avoiding an American car earns more credit because it pollutes more. That's why walking in North America earns roughly twice the rate it does in Latin America.

2. The power socket isn't the same either. An electric car charged in Brazil draws from a grid that is ~89% fossil-free (hydro, wind, solar). In Asia, the grid still runs mostly on coal. The same electric car avoids 0.09 kg/km here and only 0.04 kg/km there. Clean electricity is a real competitive advantage — and now it shows up in your ecomile wallet.

A Brazilian special case: the ethanol car

Brazil is the only place on Earth where filling up with ethanol at scale is an everyday choice. That's why the ethanol-powered combustion car earns ecomiles only in Latin America: ethanol zeroes out fossil carbon at the tailpipe, and even after discounting farm-and-mill emissions, ~0.07 kg per km is avoided compared with gasoline.

Where the numbers come from

We don't invent rates. The references are public and auditable: vehicle emission factors from CETESB/MMA (Brazil), DEFRA (UK) and the EPA (US); regional grid carbon intensity from Ember (2025 data) and Brazil's MCTI; public-transport energy use from DEFRA 2026. Rates are revised whenever the sources update — and every validated trip carries the rate in force at the moment of crediting.

FAQ (SEO)

How much CO₂ is 1 ecomile worth?

1 ecomile always equals 1 kg of CO₂e avoided compared with a fossil-fuel car driving the same route.

How many km by train earn 1 ecomile?

10 km by train or metro in Latin America equal 1 ecomile — 1 kg of CO₂e avoided.

Why did my mode's rate change?

We updated all rates using the latest public sources (Ember 2025, MCTI, DEFRA 2026, EPA, CETESB/MMA), reflecting each region's real car fleet and power grid.

Next step

Download the app, pick a cleaner path, and leave the math to us. The planet keeps count of every kilometer — now you do too. 👉 ecomiles.app