We’ve heard about electric cars that have to be plugged in for quite awhile now, but we have seen nothing other than the odd granola eating science geek trying one out. A coalition of U.S. cities wants to see that change. Austin, Baltimore, Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle are among the cities that have united to form Plug-in Partners, a campaign designed to encourage automakers to speed up the production of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs).

The cars are recharged from a 110V socket and can travel 25 to 35 miles on a charge if only using electricity. Taking into account today’s electric rates, an ‘electric gallon’ of electricity costs about 75 cents. Besides lobbying, the cities in the partnership will provide alternatives for adoption of PHEVs. Austin, for example, has pledged $1 million in rebates to people who purchase the vehicles. The cities will also use petition drives and soft orders for future vehicles to encourage the companies.