YOUR NEXT CAR WILL BE A VOLT:

"Electrification, you cannot stop it anymore -- it's coming," says Elmer Kades, a managing director with the consulting firm AlixPartners. "We have fantastic growth rates, between 50 and 60 percent on a global level."

Electric vehicles are currently a tiny fraction of the car market, which is dominated by internal combustion engines. But many more electric car models will hit showrooms in the next few years, and several factors have analysts convinced that's part of a major transition in the industry.

Government policies -- particularly in Europe and China -- are giving a boost to electric vehicles, as regulators consider not only the devastating impacts of climate change, but also the value of improved air quality in cities.

Auto companies around the world are gearing up for what will be a massive financial commitment. Car makers plan to invest more than $90 billion on the shift to electric vehicles over the next decade or so, according to a Reuters analysis.

Electric motors are simpler, which makes them easier to maintain and means they should last longer. Keeping them charged is cheaper than buying gas, an advantage that will grow even more significant if gas prices rise.

Plus, "they are fun to drive," says Tom Murphy, a managing editor at Wards Auto, which ranks the world's best engines. "They're enjoyable, they're quiet ... and there's loads of torque" -- which means instant acceleration, he says. [...]

"Probably in the mid-2020s timeframe it becomes comparable or cheaper to actually buy and operate an EV than an internal combustion vehicle," says Sam Abuelsamid, an auto analyst with Navigant. Felipe Munoz, a global analyst at JATO, predicts electric vehicles outsell conventional ones by 2030.

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