Detroit's top executives have other obligations this week, but in Los Angeles, the auto show must go on. In addition to electric-vehicle infrastructure initiatives, hybrid and all-electric vehicles figure large among more than 30 North American and world premieres at this year's event, which opens to the public tomorrow. These five models stand out from the herd in terms of affordability, design — and likely time to market.

Mini E: Early next year, BMW plan to lease 500 prototypes of these all-electric coupes for year-long test drives in New York, New Jersey and California. A timeline has yet to be established for full-scale production, but relative to other EV developers, BMW is moving fast. A heavy lithium-ion battery pack takes only three hours to charge with a special “wallbox unit,” and can power the car for up to 150 miles, the company reports. Downside: The batteries eliminate backseat space found in the Cooper S model, the basis for the Mini E.

Renault Nissan: As we reported earlier today, Nissan hopes to take EVs to the mass market by way of infrastructure development partnerships. A battery leasing program planned for the as-yet-unnamed vehicle in Nissan's pipeline could make it competitive with conventional gas-powered cars — especially if fuel prices resume their pre-recession climb.

2010 Ford Fusion: The next-gen Ford Fusion, a sedan with technology similar to that of the Escape Hybrid, is one of six new models being showcased by the cash-strapped automaker at this year's show. Some critics have questioned whether Ford can afford so much product development, but at an estimated 39 mpg, the 2010 Fusion could give the company a vehicle that budget-conscious drivers actually want to buy.

Honda Insight: Though the new Insight remains in concept phase, Honda hopes to have the relaunch of its once-expensive two-door include a price “significantly below” that of hybrids now on the market. Planned features include real-time and cumulative feedback on driving technique and fuel economy. More technical details can be found in our earlier post.

Chevy Silverado Hybrid: If the Prius still brings to mind wimpy environmentalists, GM's new pickup trucks could add some beef to popular notions of hybrid owners, starting with the 2009 Chevy Silverado. The engine doesn't rumble, of course, but the company claims this hybrid full-size truck can haul up to 6,100 pounds. Just how long it can manage that weight before the old gasoline kicks in remains to be seen.

Building green isn't going to cost you an arm and a leg, according to a new study led by investment group Good Energies. Although it might not be the best economic time to put up a new building, the study points out that green buildings cost on average less than 2 percent more than traditional buildings.

That's a big difference from the public perception. A 2007 survey from the World Business Council for Sustainable Development found that business leaders believed that green building practices would cost them an average 17 percent premium over conventional builds.

If even that smaller 2 percent premium still seems too much, Good Energies said the savings on water and energy more than outweigh the initial extra cost. The study said green buildings boast an average 33 percent reduction in energy use alone. The report looked at data on 150 recent green buildings across 33 U.S. states and 10 countries, and found that the initial “green premium” was paid back by energy and water savings within five years for about 50 percent of the buildings in the study.

But some experts are skeptical of the study, telling the New York Times that the cost differentials are hard to measure for green buildings. Peter Pfeiffer, a green architect based in Austin, Texas, told the Times that cleantech features for a home or building can add as little as 1 percent to as much as 5 percent to the bill.

Companies such as San Francisco-based green builder Project Frog, which just pulled in $8 million in funding, stand to benefit if businesses take a brighter view of building more environmentally friendly digs. Project Frog announced yesterday that it raised the Series B financing, led by RockPort Capital Partners.

Good Energies, which has a significant number of solar and wind investments, has its own stakes in the green building industry, with cash going to Ice Energy, Microstaq and SAGE Electrochromics. Microstaq makes fluid control solutions that have applications in HVAC systems, and SAGE Electrochromics makes electronically tinting glass. Just last month, Ice Energy, which makes an ice-based storage system for air conditioning units, grabbed $33 million in the first tranche of a Series B round, although Good Energies did not participate in the tranche.

Improvements in building efficiencies have the potential to take a huge load off of the national power grid, with buildings currently responsible for consuming 40 percent of the world's energy, including two-thirds of its electricity, according to the report. A more efficient building envelope can keep that percentage down, reducing the size of heating and cooling systems, and fixtures including waterless urinals can reduce plumbing requirements. Smart building networks that control lighting and windows can also keep lighting costs down.

Good Energies said the final report, which is still being edited, will be published next summer.

UPDATED: Another project from electric car developer ZAP looks like it's hit the rails (hat tip AutoblogGreen). The penny stock company is more than a few pennies short on a deal to build a manufacturing plant in Kentucky, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader. Integrity Manufacturing, ZAP's partner on the planned facility, told the paper that a key investor has pulled out of the project, and that they now need some $150 million-$200 million in federal assistance to get it off the ground.

“We are excited about the opportunity, but Integrity controls the destiny of this project,” ZAP spokesman Alex Campbell told us via email. “There are many ideas we are talking with them about and we would be very happy to build vehicles in the U.S. just like we used to.” ZAP's low-speed vehicles are currently built in China.

Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear announced the manufacturing project in August, saying it would bring 4,000 new jobs to the region.

ZAP's joint venture with Detroit Electric fell apart in September, with ZAP CEO Steve Schneider saying at the time that the company and partner Youngman Automotive Group couldn't agree on which vehicle to build first. Youngman, a bus maker, wanted to do buses, according to Schneider, while ZAP was keen on cars.

And a scathing feature in Wired Magazine earlier this year went through a laundry list of supposed failed promises and alleged corporate misdeeds at ZAP, pointing out that the company has reported an annual profit only once, and, at the time, had more than one pending SEC investigation against it.

On this latest project in Kentucky, Integrity Manufacturing said that GE Capital had committed to buying $125 million in bonds for the new plant, but has pulled out of the deal. A spokesman for GE Capital has not yet responded to an emailed question regarding the financing company's involvement in the project. Update: GE Capital got back to us, saying it did not make a commitment to buying bonds for the project and has no involvement in it.

Although a groundbreaking ceremony was held in August, the Herald-Leader said that Integrity CEO Randall Waldman acknowledged this week that little had been done at the site. Kentucky has put up a tax incentive package worth $48 million for the factory, which ZAP said is expected to start producing electric vehicles by next September.

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