BYD

Then, in December, BYD began selling a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle in China for the equivalent of about $22,000 -- dramatically less, in other words, than any viable contender for the title of "paradigm-shifting EV." The specs are compelling too: a top speed of 100 mph and a 62-mile range on battery power alone. (And because it has a gas engine that recharges the batteries on long trips, range anxiety isn't a real issue anyway.) If it can pass U.S. safety tests -- a big if -- the Chevy Volt may be licked before it's left the garage.