Born in the early 60's  in Orange County, CA I very much remember the "Smog Alerts" when we couldn't go outside and play.     We couldn't see the local foothills, and the larger San Gabriel range were visible a couple times a year.    Black oil slicks of oil in the center lanes of all freeways (still that way to some extent is why there are so many accidents when it does rain and the oil washing away makes the roads very slick), but Closed crankcases helped that.   The air quality is so much better today than it was when I was a kid in the 60's and 70's.    As a kid and young driver lamented the stricter standards that strangled our new cars performance, but in '77 when I started driving, there were still so many muscle cars that could be bought for $500-1,000 we clung to them for a few more years.   ('67 Camaro RS Convt for $500 and '65 GTO Convt for $400 to name a few).  By the late 70's and early 80's, new cars could barely get out of their own way.   BUT, it worked and did force manufacturers to produce better, cleaner products.    I left SoCal in 2006.   When I go back, I'm always amazed the the clear air and ability to see city skylines, mountains, and coastline.    The cars and trucks are much cleaner today, and if no one has noticed, we are in a Muscle Car Renaissance not seen since the 60's.    We can now buy new 400-700 horsepower gasoline cars WITH A WARRANTY!  And the performance of a mid-sized family sedan or SUV with say a turbo 2.0 liter today is better than the sedans and station wagons of the 60's and 70's with standard engines.  Electrics will be another level, although we do need acknowledge we still need to make the electricity and have the infrastructure to deliver it...    ... View more