Pike Research reports that the Chevrolet Volt, a plug-in hybrid model, along with the Nissan Leaf - which does away with petrol completely in favour of electrical connectors and battery power - will be among the first on to the market.
However, the manufacturers of these models ranked third and fifth in a recent survey of customers' preferred brands for electric vehicles.
The top two spots in the survey were occupied by Ford and Honda, neither of which has a mass-market electric vehicle due for immediate release.
Consumers also appear to disagree about the necessary range of the vehicles, with maximum distances of less than ten miles as popular as more expensive 100-mile alternatives.
Pike Research suggests the findings of its study are of interest not only to automobile firms, but also to battery manufacturers and government agencies.
