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Northwest Diesel Ownership Among Tops Nationally, Still Lags Europe

File photo. The vast majority of diesel vehicles in the Northwest are pickups.
Vetatur Fumare
/
Flickr
File photo. The vast majority of diesel vehicles in the Northwest are pickups.

A new report by a diesel industry group shows Oregon and Idaho are in the top 10 when it comes to highest rates of diesel vehicle ownership in the nation. 

File photo. The vast majority of diesel vehicles in the Northwest are pickups.
Credit Vetatur Fumare / Flickr
/
Flickr
File photo. The vast majority of diesel vehicles in the Northwest are pickups.

But the overall rate pales in comparison to other parts of the world.

Northwesterners use powerful diesel pick-ups 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, from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, said it's a dramatic change from even just a few years ago.

"Compared to a pre-2010 vehicle, the emissions are reduced by somewhere around 90 percent," he said. "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 one reason 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.

Copyright 2014 Northwest News Network

Chris Lehman graduated from Temple University with a journalism degree in 1997. He landed his first job less than a month later, producing arts stories for Red River Public Radio in Shreveport, Louisiana. Three years later he headed north to DeKalb, Illinois, where he worked as a reporter and announcer for NPR–affiliate WNIJ–FM. In 2006 he headed west to become the Salem Correspondent for the Northwest News Network.