Honda is bringing the Electric Car to America

Honda Motor Co. (NYSE:HMC) will bring electric cars to America in the next 10 years, joining a growing number of automakers vying for the lead in clean technology development, local media reported Saturday.

Japan's second-biggest car maker, which has focused on gas-electric hybrids so far, is building an all-electric prototype to be unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show in October, according to the Nikkei financial newspaper. It said Honda would begin sales of electric vehicles in the United States in the first half of the decade.

A Honda spokesman said the Tokyo-based company has begun to develop electric vehicles, but has not decided on a release date. He declined to be named, citing company policy.

Honda released its new Insight earlier this year, billing it as the cheapest gas-electric hybrid on the market, to compete with Toyota Motor Corp.'s top-selling Prius.

But with U.S. environmental regulations expected to toughen, automakers are stepping up efforts to release zero-emission cars.