The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) has announced an R&D collaboration with GM and 34 utilities to prepare for integrating plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the nation's grid—a "key step in providing the nation's drivers an alternative to petroleum fuels," the company said in a statement. They made the announcement in San Jose at the Plug-In 2008 conference, which is a three-day convention that covers technology, challenges, and market research on electric transportation.

The EPRI-GM-utility effort is the result of "many years of work by EPRI and its members to advance plug-in hybrids and related infrastructure technology to a point of feasible implementation and eventual commercialization," said Arshad Mansoor, EPRI's VP of Power Delivery and Utilization. "Seamless integration of PHEVs into the electric grid will require close collaboration between the automobile and electric sectors."