General Motors' roll-out of the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid is set to have a large impact on the United States power industry. In a bid to anticipate this impact, General Motors will likely team up with the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) - an institute that conducts research for several utilities that together power 90% of the United States.

While Ford already has a deal in place with EPRI, which was announced in March of this year, the Blue Oval does not have a plug-in hybrid on the table that is being watched as closely as Chevrolet's Volt.

The collaboration between GM and EPRI's major goal will be to promote the use of rechargeable vehicles such as GM's Chevy Volt, which is expected to cause a mass mobilization of consumers towards the plug-in hybrid car. While the Volt is planned for a 2010 release, preparing an infrastructure for the car early will be crucial to its success, reports Automotive News.

There have been previous proposals for electricity companies to set up recharging stations which allow parked cars to return power to the grid, although the viability of such an arrangement remains doubtful. Other programs such as battery recycling for electric cars are still being studied and in conjunction with EPRI the US auto industry should be able to plan an effective infrastructure capable of supporting a switch to electric cars.