A new era of transportation is fast approaching.  The evidence: almost every major car manufacturer has plans to develop hybrid and electric vehicles. Honda (NYSE:HMC) is the latest to reveal its intention to introduce both a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and also electric vehicle into the U.S. market by 2012. 

Nissan Leaf followed the announcement of the Chevy Volt and informed of the national market roll-out plan of its first ever zero-emission electric car. It also said said it will need public support of three to five years for the development of its electric vehicles. Eying for a government financial aid it may only cost 20K in California.

Two new fully-electric vehicles, the smart fortwo electric drive and the Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-CELL, are hitting the market. With ranges of 135 and 400 kilometers, respectively, the two cars are a perfect compliment; one perfect for driving in towns and cities, and the other for longer road trips.

With new CAFE standards looming, automakers have to quickly decide how they will meet these goals. With options like hybrids, electric cars, and diesel cars, the companies must choose how to approach the changes to their fleet that would be most beneficial.

Industry leaders discussed the future of the electric car at last week's "New York and the Electric Car" forum at Columbia University. The speakers were not concerned with the logistics of charging electric vehicles in a city like New York– the power grids will likely be able to handle the strain most of the time.

Cities are preparing for the arrival of electric vehicles, as models like the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt prepare to hit the market later this year. Car companies are making deals with local officials in cities across the country to set up public charging stations and figure out ways to make it easier for customers to charge their vehicles at home.

EVCA.ob's move to launch its operations in South America came in reaction to a large demand for its electric vehicles which was not only received from the private sector but also received a substantial number of government requests supply of cars.

Home wiring may not be the hottest of topics, but get it wrong and, well, things can certainly get exciting. As electric vehicles become more commonplace, more and more people are going to start looking into what it will take to get more current running to their cars -- nobody's going to want to wait around for a 110V trickle charge

A useful compilation of Treehugger's articles about electric vehicles.

This year is the big test for electric vehicles. Sure, there are a few that are already on the road, but mostly super expensive versions like the Tesla (over $100,000) and cars that have been converted to electric with DIY instructions. But later this fall, Chevrolet is releasing the Chevy Volt!