Cars with high smog ratings

[Dragon Lady]

We're selling Yellow's old, very run down car to a mechanic who needs a car and can fix it up. We'll probably stay a one-car family for awhile (it's not very hard when he works from home) but we've been toying with the idea of buying an electric or hybrid car to do our part to help with the inversion. And because we think they're cool. I learned today that cars now come with a Smog Rating. But... my googling skills (or maybe lack thereof?) are failing me. Can anyone find me a list of cars with a high smog rating? Like a 9 or 10, preferably. I've found a couple, but it'd be nice to have a list to check out, instead of just randomly coming across them.

[Dragon Lady]

Wait! I maybe just found it: http://www.driveclean.ca.gov/Search_and ... Rating.php

[Whistler]

We have a Prius and I love it. Even if I miss an oil change for a few months it hasn't been having any kinds of problems. It can tell you what your MPG is currently, and it has a running graph of your gas consumption, which can make conserving gas into kind of a game.

I've heard good things about the Tesla (electric car), but I wouldn't want one until they have finished setting up their battery-charging infrastructure (like gas stations for electric cars). It's also terribly expensive.

[Dragon Lady]

Which Prius? A hybrid? I was intrigued to learn that electric cars don't need oil changes. Clearly I know nothing about how a car engine works.

[Whistler]

Yes, it's a hybrid. It has a battery inside of it that gets charged when you go downhill and stuff. And with the magic of mechanics, somehow this battery makes it so the Prius doesn't use as much gas (it's different/separate from the battery in regular cars).

We actually use synthetic oil so we don't need the oil changed as much either.

[Marduk]

DL, the oil lubricates the pistons which provide the power in a combustion engine. Pistons are the chambers where the gas is ignited, causing miniature explosions, forcing them up and down.

No combustion = no pistons = no oil.

[Dragon Lady]

The things one learns these days! Thanks Marduk!