Last month the New York Times ran a story about how cities across the country were making preparations for life with electric cars (EVs) and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs).  Forward-thinking communities in a handful of places around the US are busy revising building code to require new structures that will be wired for car chargers.  Utility companies are gearing up in preparation for the first wave of electric cars which is due to hit when the Nissan Leaf is introduced later this year.  Pricing and tax incentives are getting hammered out, locations for the charging stations are getting sorted out, all in the belief that cars that use electricity have a future.

The move away from the internal combustion engine and towards vehicle electrification in the transportation sector is viewed by many as just a matter of time. You know, as in inevitable. The world’s population of automobiles is growing at an unprecedented rate. Within the next year more new cars will be purchased in China than in the US. For the first time this country will no longer be the most car crazy nation in the world.

There is an urgent need to increase fuel efficiency and reduce CO2, and internal combustion technology just will not suffice in the long-run. Auto manufacturers have accepted this, and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in electric vehicles (PHEVs), and electric vehicles (EVs) are already playing a larger role in their production plans for the coming years.

One of the world’s premiere auto shows, the North American International Auto Show in Detroit just finished up its 2010 edition January 24. This year’s show featured a 37,000 square foot exhibit on the Cobo Center’s main floor called Electric Avenue. No, this was not a Motown tribute to the Reggae/Ringbang singer and songwriter Eddy Grant. Electric Avenue was a showcase of the next generation of ‘green’ cars and it was telling that this technology was displayed on the same floor that had formerly hosted Hummers and the other big boys of the SUV family.