Everything about Alison Gannett is green, from her straw-bale house to her solar-powered appliances. But when you're as serious about curbing carbon as she is, a mere hybrid won't do. That's why she spent $35,000 to install an extension cord on her Ford Escape Hybrid.

Volkswagen is moving right along with its plan to put
a plug-in hybridon the road by 2011, road-testing a "Twin Drive" Golf that goes 30 miles on lithium-ion battery power alone.

Toyota and General Motors are neck-and-neck in the race to put a plug-in hybrid in your driveway, but they're recycling an idea GM explored almost 40 years ago and tossed aside like a depleted battery.

Toyota's expanded its road testing of the Prius plug-in hybrid, sending a small fleet of the corded cars to Great Britain. After roaming around Japan, America, Belgium and France, the prototypes started silently motoring through the greater London area with drivers smugly avoiding congestion charges.

So that's what they've been up to ... After teasing us with $2.99 a gallon gas and half-baked half-electric Aspens and Durangos, Chrysler's finally shown its petrified dealer network it isn't entirely out of ideas, let alone out of touch with reality.

SAN JOSE, Calif. - The transition from pump to plug has begun, and the day is coming when your ultra-efficient, low-emissions car will have an extension cord.

SAN JOSE, California -- The electrification of the automobile may well be inevitable and plug-in hybrids our best chance to save the planet, but if they're going to sell, automakers and advocates must figure out how to market them. That means learning what consumers want, convincing them of the technology's personal and societal benefits and, perhaps most importantly, making the cars sexy.