This is a 2000 Chevy Malibu. The average fuel economy has been found to be 30 MPG. The yearly mileage for the vehicle is know to be 30,000 miles. The energy used in the manufacturing is compared to the energy used through the life of the vehicle. The difference between the energies is compared in order to determine how long it will take for the energy in the fuel to equal the energy used in production. The results can be seen here:
The table above is used to generate the following graph:
It can be seen here that the energies will be equal between the third and fourth year. As the life of the car continues, the energy used in production becomes small in comparison to the energy of production. This concept is important in all systems that require energy to operate. It is even more important when creating mechanical systems to generate energy. 
