Entrepreneurs, investors and business leaders looking for ways to plug into the emerging electric vehicle market will find an outlet this week.

Starting Monday, more than 600 people will descend on the MotorCity Casino in Detroit for a three-day conference dedicated to the making, marketing and deployment of plug-in electric vehicles.

The inaugural event, called "The Business of Plugging In," brings together leaders from the automotive and utility industries, as well as researchers, policymakers, venture capitalists and startup company executives to discuss how to bring this evolving technology to the mass market. The event is sold out.

"There has been a good amount of hype around plug-in electric vehicles," said Brett Smith, a director of automotive analysis group at Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, which is helping to organize the conference. "It's critical to really start to develop a sound economic model to make this great technology work for the consumer."

Gen. Wesley Clark, former supreme allied commander of NATO, is scheduled to give the keynote address Wednesday and will speak about the importance of energy independence and a national strategy for electrifying transportation, Smith said.

DTE CEO Anthony Earley also is scheduled to speak, as well as Ford Motor Co. Chairman Bill Ford Jr. and Gov. Jennifer Granholm.

Tuesday's opening session, "The Electrification of the Vehicle," will provide an overview of the challenges and opportunities created by plug-in electric vehicles. Other panel discussions will cover a wide range of topics from battery technology and work force development to what utilities and governments need to do to prepare.

Britta Gross, director of global energy systems at General Motors Co. and a conference speaker, said Detroit is the ideal locale for the conference not only because of its ties with the automotive industry but also because of the recent influx of federal funding for new battery technology. She added that the new technology is likely to breed new work for suppliers making battery parts, electric motors and high-power electronics.

"All of these are business opportunities waiting to happen," Gross said.

GM says its extended range electric Chevrolet Volt will be available in late 2010. The Volt will rely on a lithium-ion battery pack that will let commuters travel up to 40 miles on electric power alone. The Volt's engine kicks in after its battery is drained by about 70 percent, to sustain the battery's remaining charge to keep the car running for several hundred miles.

Several sessions focus specifically on what parts will be needed to manufacture electric vehicles and how businesses can get involved with the supply chain.

GM is co-sponsoring the event with the University of Michigan and DTE Energy. The conference is being funded through part of a $5 million Michigan Public Service Commission grant awarded to GM, U-M and DTE to advance research on electric vehicles and supporting infrastructure.

In selecting speakers, organizers looked for people with a mix of backgrounds, ranging from those with deep roots in the auto industry to entrepreneurs outside it pioneering new ways to get electric powered vehicles on the roads.

Felix Cramer, for instance, is founder of the California Car Initiative, a Palo Alto-based startup composed of engineers, environmentalists and entrepreneurs dedicated to promoting plug-in hybrid electric vehicles with ranges exceeding 100 miles.

Cramer will speak on Wednesday morning at session called "The Consumer: Who, When and Why?" which aims to better understand the challenges involved with selling this new technology to consumers.

"We have a great mix of real hands on people, as well as, people who have great vision," Smith said.