We've been watching it roll closer for years, and now it's all but here: A new era of electric cars.

Just three or four months from now, the first highway-capable electric vehicles sold in volume by global automakers will appear in showrooms in California and other regions. By the end of 2011, they'll be followed by several more.

This is our guide to all the dozen electric cars (in several varieties) that are now on sale in the U.S. or that manufacturers have said they will launch within the coming 24 months.

Just to be clear, we're defining "electric vehicle" as one that has a high-voltage lithium-ion battery pack that plugs into the grid to recharge, and propels it purely on electric power for at least 10 miles.

The vehicle may or may not have a gasoline engine to provide additional range, in one of several configurations. As you'll see below, we've broken our guide into four parts, based on the projected dates when the vehicle will go on sale:

These dates, of course, may change at any time, though we're pretty confident on the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt.

NOTE: Prices shown are MSRP before any Federal tax credits or state and local incentives. 

Bruce Richter drives the 2010 Tesla Roadster Sport

Bruce Richter drives the 2010 Tesla Roadster Sport

Electric Cars Available By End of 2010

2010 TESLA ROADSTER & ROADSTER SPORT

  • WHEN: On sale now
  • WHERE: The company presently has eight U.S. Tesla stores: three in California, plus Boulder, Chicago, Florida, NYC, and Seattle
  • OTHER MARKETS: Tesla stores exist in London, Monaco, Munich, Zurich, and Copenhagen.
  • PRODUCTION VOLUMES: Tesla has built slightly more than 1,000 Roadsters since 2008.
  • VEHICLE TYPE: All-electric two-seat open sports car.
  • SPECIFICATIONS: 185-kilowatt electric motor driving the rear wheels, powered by a 53-kilowatt-hour battery pack providing up to 240 miles of range.
  • OTHER: The Tesla battery pack contains 6,831 small "commodity" lithium-ion cells, like those used in mobile phones.
  • DRIVE REPORT: Driven: 2009 Tesla Roadster
  • PRICE: $109,000 & $129,000

2011 Nissan Leaf

2011 Nissan Leaf

2011 NISSAN LEAF

  • WHEN: "End of 2010," meaning November or December this year.
  • WHERE: Initial U.S. launch markets will be about 20 large U.S. cities.
  • OTHER MARKETS: The Leaf will be sold globally in North America, Europe, and Asia.
  • PRODUCTION VOLUMES: Nissan has already received 20,000 orders for the Leafs it will build during 2011 in Oppama, Japan. Production will increase once Leaf factories in Smyrna, Tennessee, and Sunderland, U.K., come on line late in 2012.
  • VEHICLE TYPE: All-electric five-seat, five-door compact hatchback.
  • SPECIFICATIONS: 80-kilowatt electric motor driving the front wheels, powered by a 24-kilowatt-hour battery pack providing up to 100 miles of range.
  • OTHER: The Leaf is just the first of what Nissan says will be four all-electric vehicles it will offer by 2015.
  • DRIVE REPORT: 2011 Nissan Leaf: First Drive
  • PRICE: $32,780

2011 Chevrolet Volt

2011 Chevrolet Volt

2011 CHEVROLET VOLT

  • WHEN: "End of 2010," meaning November or December this year
  • WHERE: Initial U.S. launch markets are California; Michigan; Washington, D.C.; New York City; and Austin Texas. Chevy will add more markets starting next spring; it plans to offer the Volt in all 50 states by July 2012.
  • OTHER MARKETS: The Volt will be sold in 2012 in China (as the 2012 Buick Ampera) and in Europe and the U.K. (as the 2012 Opel/Vauxhall Ampera), and in 2013, in Australia (as the 2013 Holden Ampera).
  • PRODUCTION VOLUMES: GM will build 10,000 Volts by the end of 2011, and 45,000 more during calendar 2012.
  • VEHICLE TYPE: Range-extended electric four-seat, five-door compact hatchback.
  • SPECIFICATIONS: 111-kilowatt electric motor driving the front wheels, powered by 16-kilowatt-hour battery pack (40 miles' range), plus range-extending 1.4-liter gasoline engine to run a 53-kilowatt generator (300-plus more miles).
  • OTHER: The Volt is the world's first range-extended electric vehicle (or "series hybrid") to be produced in volume.
  • DRIVE REPORT: First Drive: 2011 Chevrolet Volt
  • PRICE: $41,000

2011 Smart electric drive - first drive

2011 Smart electric drive - first drive

2011 SMART ELECTRIC DRIVE

  • WHEN: October 2010
  • WHERE: Unspecified.
  • OTHER MARKETS: The Smart Electric Drive will be sold in Europe and North America.
  • PRODUCTION VOLUMES: 1,500 will be built globally; 250 will go to U.S. customers, mostly fleets, with mass production starting in 2012.
  • VEHICLE TYPE: All-electric two-seat, three-door hatchback minicar.
  • SPECIFICATIONS: 20-kilowatt electric motor driving the rear wheels, powered by a 16.5-kilowatt-hour battery pack providing up to 83 miles of range.
  • OTHER: This is actually the second electric Smart; the first one, sold only in Europe, was known as the Smart EV and used a different battery pack.
  • DRIVE REPORT: Driven: 2011 Smart Electric Drive
  • PRICE: Not yet released.

2011 Coda Sedan prototype - side

2011 Coda Sedan prototype - side

2011 CODA SEDAN

  • WHEN: According to Coda, the company is "on track to begin deliveries by the end of this year" (e.g. before Jan 1, 2011).
  • WHERE: California only.
  • OTHER MARKETS: Not yet known.
  • PRODUCTION VOLUMES: Up to 20,000 units in first full year on the market.
  • VEHICLE TYPE: All-electric five-seat, four-door compact sedan.
  • SPECIFICATIONS: 100-kilowatt electric motor driving the front wheels, powered by a 33.8-kilowatt-hour battery pack providing 90 to 120 miles of range.
  • OTHER: The Coda vehicle itself and the Lishen cells for its battery pack are built in China, giving it the highest Chinese-made content by far of any car sold in the U.S.
  • DRIVE REPORT: We have only ridden in a Coda Sedan prototype; we haven't yet road-tested it.
  • PRICE: $45,000

2011 Ford Transit Connect Electric, introduced at 2010 Chicago Auto Show

2011 Ford Transit Connect Electric, introduced at 2010 Chicago Auto Show

Electric Cars Available By June 2011 

2011 FORD TRANSIT CONNECT ELECTRIC

  • WHEN: Exact date not known.
  • WHERE: To be sold in the U.S. as a third-party conversion by Azure Dynamics and marketed through Ford commercial truck dealers.
  • OTHER MARKETS: Unspecified.
  • PRODUCTION VOLUMES: Unspecified, although analysts expect the number to be low, perhaps 5,000 per year at most.
  • VEHICLE TYPE: All-electric two-seat, five-door small commercial delivery van.
  • SPECIFICATIONS: 135-kilowatt electric motor driving the front wheels, powered by a 28-kilowatt-hour battery pack providing up to 100 miles of range.
  • OTHER: This is the first electric vehicle ever sold to the public with a Ford badge on it.
  • PRICE: Not yet released, but anticipated to be in the vicinity of $50,000.

Fisker Karma

Fisker Karma

2011 FISKER KARMA

  • WHEN: Customer deliveries to start in early 2011.
  • WHERE: Fisker has more than two dozen dealers across the U.S.
  • OTHER MARKETS: The Karma will also be sold in Europe and Asia.
  • PRODUCTION VOLUMES: 15,000 per year.
  • VEHICLE TYPE: Range-extended electric four-seat, four-door midsize luxury sports sedan.
  • SPECIFICATIONS: Pair of 150-kilowatt electric motors driving the rear wheels, powered by 22-kilowatt-hour battery pack (giving 50 miles' range), plus range-extending 2.0-liter gasoline engine to run a generator for 250-plus more miles.
  • OTHER: Fisker switched its lithium-ion cell supplier just this January, late in the development process--an unusual decision.
  • DRIVE REPORT: As of now, no journalist on earth has driven a 2011 Fisker Karma.
  • PRICE: $87,400

Aptera 2e development prototype at company offices in Vista, California

Aptera 2e development prototype at company offices in Vista, California

Electric Cars Available By December 2011

2011 (2012?) APTERA 2e

  • WHEN: Aptera hopes to deliver production models to customers during 2011.
  • WHERE: First sales will be in selected U.S. markets.
  • OTHER MARKETS: Unspecified.
  • PRODUCTION VOLUMES: Unspecified.
  • VEHICLE TYPE: All-electric two-seat, two-door streamlined three-wheel compact car.
  • SPECIFICATIONS: 75-kilowatt electric motor driving the front wheels, powered by a 22-kilowatt-hour battery pack providing up to 100 miles of range.
  • OTHER: The Aptera is by far the most radical electric-car design headed for showrooms--it will be the world's most aerodynamic car--which may limit its sales prospects.
  • DRIVE REPORT: Final Aptera 2e Styling Leaked, We Drive the Electric Three-Wheeler
  • PRICE: Not yet released, but the company has said in the past it would be "$25,000 to $40,000."

2012 MITSUBISHI i-MiEV

  • WHEN: Updated version for North America due "during 2012," possibly as early as late 2011, and may debut this fall at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
  • WHERE: Specific release markets unspecified.
  • OTHER MARKETS: The i-MiEV has been on sale in Japan since August 2009, and entered European markets in 2010.
  • PRODUCTION VOLUMES: Global production by 2012 is expected to be 30,000, perhaps more.
  • VEHICLE TYPE: All-electric four-seat, five-door subcompact hatchback.
  • SPECIFICATIONS: 47-kilowatt electric motor driving the rear wheels, powered by a 16-kilowatt-hour battery pack providing 60 to 80 miles of range using North American test cycles.
  • OTHER: The i-MiEV is an electric adaptation of Mitsubishi's very successful "i" minicar, sold in Japan and elsewhere with a 660cc three-cylinder gasoline engine.
  • DRIVE REPORT: Driven: 2010 Mitsubishi i-MiEV (this is a Japanese-market car, not the version adapted for the U.S.)
  • PRICE: While the price in Japan is $53,000, Mitsubishi hopes to offer the i-MiEV for under $30,000 in the U.S.

prototype 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid, April 2010

prototype 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid, April 2010

Electric Cars Available During 2012

2012 TOYOTA PRIUS PLUG-IN HYBRID

  • WHEN: January or February 2012
  • WHERE: Launch markets unspecified
  • OTHER MARKETS: A test fleet of 600 Prius Plug-In Hybrids was spread among Japan, Europe, and the U.S., so the car--like the standard Toyota Prius hybrid--is likely to be sold globally.
  • PRODUCTION VOLUMES: Unknown
  • VEHICLE TYPE: Plug-in power-split hybrid five-seat, five-door midsize hatchback.
  • SPECIFICATIONS: Standard third-generation Toyota Prius with 1.8-liter engine and Hybrid Synergy Drive system, but fitted with larger 5.2-kilowatt-hour battery pack that can be plugged in to recharge it.
  • OTHER: Prototype Prius Plug-In Hybrids were not designed to recharge their larger battery packs during travel once the stored grid power had been used; they then operated just as a regular Prius hybrid would. This may change for production, however.
  • DRIVE REPORT: First Drive: 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid
  • PRICE: Not yet released, but Toyota has said it expects the plug-in feature will add $5,000 to $7,000 to the cost of a standard Prius.

Think City electric vehicle

Think City electric vehicle

2012 THINK CITY

  • WHEN: Unspecified.
  • WHERE: U.S. sales may be supplied from a U.S. factory Think plans to set up.
  • OTHER MARKETS: The Think City has been sold for many years, and with various different battery packs, in Europe.
  • PRODUCTION VOLUMES: Unspecified.
  • VEHICLE TYPE: All-electric two-seat, three-door hatchback minicar.
  • SPECIFICATIONS: 100-kilowatt electric motor driving the front wheels, powered by a 25-kilowatt-hour battery pack providing up to 100 miles of range.
  • OTHER: The Think City is likely to be restyled and updated before going on sale in the U.S.
  • DRIVE REPORT: We have not road-tested a U.S.-spec 2012 Think City.
  • PRICE: Not yet released.

2012 Ford Focus

2012 Ford Focus

2012 FORD FOCUS ELECTRIC

  • WHEN: "During 2012"
  • WHERE: Unspecified.
  • OTHER MARKETS: Unspecified
  • PRODUCTION VOLUMES: Unspecified, although analysts expect early numbers to be low, perhaps 5,000 per year.
  • VEHICLE TYPE: All-electric four-seat, four-door compact sedan.
  • SPECIFICATIONS: Motor and battery pack size have not yet been confirmed, but the Focus Electric should provide up to 100 miles of range.
  • OTHER: Unlike the 2011 Ford Transit Connect Electric, which will be converted by Azure Dynamics, Ford plans to build the 2012 Focus Electric in its Wayne, Michigan, factory alongside the gasoline Focus.
  • DRIVE REPORT: First Drive: 2012 Ford Focus EV Prototype
  • PRICE: Not yet released.

As well as the dozen cars listed here, a few additional projects have been announced but aren't firm enough yet for us to list.

Those include the Tesla Model S all-electric midsize sports sedan, the rumored Toyota vehicle converted to all-electric power using a Tesla powertrain, and an electric version of Nissan's NV200 commercial delivery vehicle.