Automakers in the United States, Asia, and France have been at the forefront of plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) development since the vehicles hit the mass market reality.

FORBES: German Plug-Ins Arrive, Finally

As long as the federal government is handing out money to encourage the development of plug-in cars in the U.S., General Motors says it will invest in the necessary technologies.

FORBES: Magazine Article

Along with a new Sphero Augmented Reality SDK available today on Github, Orbotix has created a new Sphero Augmented Reality plug-in for Unity, a flexible development platform used to make intelligent, interactive 3D and 2D content.

ENGADGET: Orbotix launches new Sphero AR tools to get the ball rolling on development

In early August, Adobe said its Flash Player plug-in for Android was being removed because development of the code had been halted.

BBC: Adobe Flash Player returns to Android store in UK

Adding cape plug-in boards to the popular and expandable BeagleBone computer that is used as a development kit allows hobbyists and developers to quickly and easily augment BeagleBone's capabilities with LCD screens, motor control and battery power as well as the ability to create their own circuits.

ENGADGET: BeagleBone gets plenty of expansion options with new 'cape' add-ons

General Motors has initially made 100 of its plug-in electric hybrid Chevrolet Volts available for purchase by the 1, 000 residents of the Mueller development and more than half have been sold so far, according to a company representative.

FORBES: Austin Community To Become A Volt Village To Test GM Electric Cars' Impact On Grid

Another hugely promising development was unveiled by General Motors on January 7th: its Chevrolet Volt, a plug-in hybrid on steroids.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: For your country

With the Chevrolet Volt, Chevrolet accounts for more than 50 percent of all plug-in electric vehicle sales in the United States and Spark EV builds on Chevrolet's proven electric motor and battery development programs.

ENGADGET: Chevy details 2014 Spark EV: under $25,000, 0-60 in 8 seconds and a 20-minute fast charge