Plug-in hybrids and electric cars are the future, period. Why the future is not here has a lot to do with people's skepticism regarding battery technology. You always hear about limited range, size, and safety concerns. I've been of the opinion, however, that battery technology is going to improve, and when it does the economics of an electric car are going to be undeniable (see my post on how the cost of gasoline will soon outstrip the cost of the car, if it doesn't already).
That's why today's Science Daily article on nanowire technology is so exciting. Researchers at Stanford, led by Yi Cui, have come up with a new structure for lithium ion batteries using silicon nanowires as opposed to carbon for the anode. This allows the battery to store up to 10 times the charge of existing Li-ion batteries, and the nano-structure prevents the degradation of the silicon.
This would represent a geometric improvement in the capabilities of batteries, a technology that's already quite close to making electric cars feasible. This kind of breakthrough is what's going to make the electric car a no-brainer. Obviously there's going to have to be testing done on a battery like this, but improvements like these leave me optimistic that the battery technology will improve, and the electric car will have its day. If I were a big auto manufacturer I'd invest a lot of money now to get a head start on this market.
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