Ford C-Max Energi

In 2011, the Chevy Volt was the only plug-in hybrid on the market—but that’s going to change in 2012. The field of cars that combine grid-supplied electricity for a number of electric miles—with gas-powered energy to extend driving range—will expand with the introduction of the Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid, Fisker Karma and Ford C-Max Energi. The statistic most cited for these cars is all-electric range (AER). But the standard by which consumers judge plug-in hybrids could be the efficiency of the vehicle when its batteries are depleted.

At the Intelligent Transportation Systems World Congress (ITS) in Orlando Florida in October, Ford Motor Company chairman Bill Ford proclaimed that it’s time for the auto industry to snatch the phrase “Information Superhighway” away from the IT industry. Ford has a vision for a world where cars “talk” to one another to avoid accidents, run more on electricity, and even monitor the health of their drivers.

We've been assuming that most electric cars will charge on 240 volts, and that's probably true for battery-only cars. But plug-in hybrids have much smaller packs and could probably get by on house current.