chevy volt battery

The electric car has arrived, but odds are that there isn't one in your driveway. Several factors have gotten in the way of the eco-friendly automotive revolution, but at least now we can ask conspiracy theorists -- who argue that oil companies and the government are blocking plug-in cars from the road -- to leave the room and take their tinfoil hats with them. The electric car is here; drivers simply don't want them yet.

GM CEO Dan Akerson is charged up about the politically manufactured controversy surrounding the Chevy Volt. "We did not engineer the car to become a political punching bag," he said. Tough words -- but rescuing the Volt's reputation will be a tough fight.

GM has finally put a sticker price on its much anticipated plug-in electric hybrid. Granted, a hefty federal tax credit will defray the cost, but the Volt carries a premium price. GM's challenge now is convincing consumers the Volt is worth it.

Government funds will help expand manufacturing to produce up to 500,000 electric cars yearly by 2015, according to the Energy Department. The money, part of the economic stimulus program, will also boost the U.S. share of global battery production to 40% by 2015.