You’ve probably heard a lot about the electric car. Whether it’s the conspiracy theories that the oil companies have stifled the idea or the stories about how car manufacturers are getting closer to this goal, the electric car generates conversation. But individuals aren’t the only ones getting ready for this new phenomenon.

The utility companies are also jumping on board to prepare for electric cars. Many electric utility facilities are joining with car makers to develop “smart charging” technology for recharging an electric car. You probably thought you could just plug it in next to your toaster, didn’t you? Me too.

But it’s not going to be that simple. With more than 300 million people in the United States alone, we already use a huge amount of electricity on a day-to-day basis. But if a million (or even hundreds of thousands) of people had electric cars, that could put a strain on the grids. That’s why utility companies need to make changes in the infrastructure to accommodate the arrival of these vehicles.

These cars might be on the road sooner than you think, too. The state of California requires car companies to put nearly 60,000 of these on the state’s roads between 2012 and 2014. That’s less than ten years from now! And everybody knows that once California has done it, other states will follow suit very soon.

When it comes time to trade in your certified Ford, you might want to consider an electric hybrid vehicle. Because it has bigger batteries, it runs more on electricity and less on fuel. By the looks of things, gas prices will soon be about $20 a gallon and electric cars will look even more attractive than they do now.