AUTO engineers have been talking for years about the coming “electrification of the automobile.” But as the development of hybrids and pure-electric vehicles has accelerated rapidly across the industry, it’s increasingly difficult to separate the subject of batteries from the cars and trucks they’ll soon be powering.

A look at the machinery to be revealed at the 2009 North American International Auto Show seems to be strong evidence that the dawn of that new era has finally arrived. It is being driven in large part by tighter regulations of carbon dioxide emissions and fuel-efficiency regulations worldwide — not to mention federal bridge-loan expectations for the Detroit Three.

Still, automotive executives lament that the current combination of low average fuel prices and plummeting consumer confidence is not exactly spurring the market for the more costly hybrids and battery-electric vehicles.