By Karen Stephenson

There has been hype for years about bringing electric cars to dealerships across North America. There's been a flurry of speculation as to why consumers have had to wait so long for technology that has been around for over a decade but what's important is that the electric car is finally out of neutral and has shifted in gear!

The race to market green cars is on and very soon those in the market for a new car will have several models to choose from. Detroit's annual auto show in January 2010 unveiled several electrifying automobiles. However, the only road-worthy plug-in electric vehicle that can be purchased today is the Tesla Roadster.

The Tesla Roadster is not for everyone who is in the market for an electric car. This stunning car goes from 0 to 60 in 3.7 seconds. It is two times more efficient than a Prius not to mention it has a range of almost 390 kilometres per charge. Impressive statistics indeed, however the price tag on this beauty is $109,000.

By the end of 2010, Tesla will have some green competition: Nissan Leaf, Coda Sedan and the Think City. The entire auto industry is now joining the green movement to market affordable electric cars. Here's a snapshot look at some of the auto companies bringing battery cars and plug-in hybrids into showrooms across the continent!

General Motors

The long awaited Chevrolet Volt has been instrumental in redefining GM's image. The Volt uses a small gas engine to generate electricity for the electric motor. It will be on sale later this year with a price tag of $40,000. A Cadillac-version of the Volt is a possibility that is on the horizon.

Ford

Ford's green strategy is the plug-in version of the 2011 Focus.

Renault-Nissan Alliance

This automaker has plug-in strategy that means business. Under the Nissan banner, the Leaf battery sedan has a 160 kilometre all-electric range. They are not only just selling this vehicle, they partnered with AeroVironment to build a home charger. They are also partnering with governments to have public charging stations implemented. Carlos Ghosn, head of Renault-Nissan, predicts that electric vehicles could constitute 10% of world car sales by 2020.

Tesla Motors

The Roadster was launched by a Tesla, a start-up California company, and currently is on the market.. Daimler purchased 10% of Tesla for $50 million and in addition, Telsa landed $465 million in DOE funding for their upcoming Model S sedan, a Maserati-like yet more practical version of the Roadster.

Fisker Automotive

Fisker is Tesla's closest competitor when it comes to sleek-designed electric vehicles. At the end of this year, the Karma will make its debut, a high performance plug-in hybrid that goes from 0 to 60 in 5.8 seconds. Project Nina is a lower-cost car that is in the making. Fisker won $528 million from the DOE to build the Nina at a former GM factory in Delaware.

Coda Automotive

In late 2010 the Coda, a small battery-powered sedan, will be on the California market. This car is based on the Saibao, a Chinese car, and is being built in Elkhart, Indiana. Elkhart was hard-hit during the recession and was once dubbed "The RV Capital of the World." The plant there has the capacity to build 20,000 vehicles per year.

Think Global

Think is a Norwegian company that attracted investment from the Ford Motor Company back in the 1990's with its plastic-bodied city commuter cars. Starting next year, Think electric cars will be built in Elkhart, Indiana. The two-seat Think City with about a 160 kilometre range on lithium-ion batteries, will sell for less than $20,000 in the U.S.

It's an exciting time in history and there's no time like the present for automakers to shift gears onto greener roads!