Motor City Makes Way for Electric Avenue (TM, HMC, F, BYDDF, CRTP, CBAK, AONE, GE, SNE, PC, BRK-A, BRK-B)

To date, most electric offerings have been from smaller independent automakers, but some big players debuted plug-in offerings in Detroit.

The Wall Street Journal noted Fiat, Volkswagon, BMW, Nissan, Toyota (TM), and Honda (HMC) among automakers showing off hybrid or full-electric offerings at the first of the major U.S. auto shows. Meanwhile, Ford (F) and General Motors are both planning on pushing fuel-efficient subcompacts. The Journal noted last week that some convention center real estate was reserved for “Electric Avenue,” which will showcase various plug-in offerings.

While most components of the Energy Storage and Battery Technology Stocks Index are far from household names, they could be among the largest beneficiaries of a shift towards electric transportation.

BYD (OTC: BYDDF) earned some credibility late in 2008, when Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK-A, BRK-B) bought a 10% stake in the company. Still, some analysts have their worries about the electric car and battery play. Its Chinese peers, China Ritar Power (CRTP) and China BAK Battery (CBAK) have outperformed recently, adding more than 25% in the last month.

A123 (AONE) was among the most talked-about stocks following its 2009 IPO. The company, which has received backing from General Electric (GE) and Sequoia Capital, among other prominent organizations, is hanging onto a 15% gain in the last month, though it remains -25% from its highs.

According to ABC News, General Motors made its first mass-produced car battery on Thursday, entering competition with a diverse basket of companies ranging from technology players Sony (SNE) and Panasonic (PC) to automakers Nissan and BYD. It will be interesting to see whether in house battery development pays off for automakers, or if outsourcing to energy storage experts will prove to be the better strategy.

Investors can track the Energy Storage and Battery Technology Stocks Index for performance trends and a suite of other metrics at tickerspy.com.

Tags: AONE, BRK-A, BRK-B, BYDDF, CBAK, CRTP, F, GE, HMC, PC, SNE, TM