At last month's Frankfurt motor show almost every big carmaker could boast of new hybrids in the pipeline, some of them plug-ins, and prototype all-electric vehicles were all over the place.

ECONOMIST: Renault's electric-car gamble

Until now, battery power has been seen as primarily a way to reduce emissions and improve fuel economy, whether with relatively conventional hybrids, like the Toyota Prius, with plug-ins, such as the new Chevrolet Volt, or with pure battery-electric vehicles, like the Nissan Leaf.

MSN: A battery beats at the heart of these muscle cars