In anticipation of these mainstream rollouts and the vehicles’ likely popularity, a number of cities are developing or are already implementing plans for charging stations and buying incentives.

New-home builders should be planning ahead, as well, to ensure the garages of the houses they sell are ready if and when future occupants choose to go the plug-in route. Single-family builders will only need to make minor modifications, if any; multifamily developers have some heftier considerations. “If we’re not ready to get buildings outfitted today, there’s going to be a lot of incurred costs later on,” says Britta Gross, director of global energy systems and infrastructure commercialization for GM.

To make electric cars acceptable to mainstream users, ease of use is essential: The Volt simply plugs into a three-pronged outlet via an extension cord. According to Gross, the Volt charges in eight hours on a 120-volt/15-amp outlet or in about three hours on a 240-volt/30-amp outlet. Though most single-family garages already contain a 120-volt outlet, forward-thinking builders should consider installing a 240-volt outlet no more than 25 feet from cars and providing a dedicated circuit. More