But those cars still command a premium over similar models that run only on gasoline.

FORBES: California To Build A $100M Electric Car Charging Network

Tim Urquhart of IHS Global Insight, a research firm, reckons that purely battery-powered cars will command only about 0.6% of world sales in 2020, with plug-in hybrids accounting for a further 0.7%.

ECONOMIST: Renault's electric-car gamble

Fiat's profit margins are thin or non-existent, because it cannot command high prices for its small cars (see chart).

ECONOMIST: Fiat falters: Nibbling the bullet | The

The cars talk to other cars and the surrounding terrain with sensors, and also stay in touch with centralized command posts.

FORBES: Self-Driving Cars Will Take Over By 2040