Northwest Diesel Ownership Among Tops Nationally, Still Lags Behind Europe

Jun 6, 2014


A truck carrying diesel fuel.
Credit FlickrLickr / Wikimedia Commons

Northwesterners use powerful diesel pickups to pull boats, RV's and farm equipment. The vast majority of diesel vehicles in the Northwest are pickups. But more drivers are turning to diesel cars and SUVs, as they become cleaner and more fuel efficient. Kevin Downing is with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. He says it's a dramatic change from even just a few years ago.

Downing: "Compared to a pre-2010 vehicle, the emissions are reduced by somewhere around 90 percent. They're very low-emitting vehicles."

Some barriers to diesel ownership remain: Diesels typically cost more brand-new and the price per gallon usually exceeds gas. That's two of the reasons why overall diesel ownership in the U.S. is a fraction of what it is in Europe. In some countries more than half the vehicles on the road are diesels.

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