The plug-in hybrid revolution has begun.

Toyota Motors Corp., one of the foremost authorities on hybrid technology is planning on producing about 20,000 to 30,000 plug-in hybrid in 2012.

We all know that if there’s a manufacturer that can make this claim and back it up, it’s Toyota. After all, their very own hybrid car, the Prius, was the first hybrid vehicle to appeal to the mainstream audience.

Plug-in cars are different from the standard hybrids because they can be charged at home through an electric socket, although by running on electricity, these cars come with batteries that can be heavy on the wallets, and that’s not even counting the electric consumption bills you’ll have to come face-to-face with every month.

Nevertheless, the future for these cars remains promising, especially considering that the world’s supply of oil won’t last forever.

Continued after the jump.

A number of other manufacturers have also developed their own plug-in hybrids – with the most notable being General Motors’ Chevrolet Volt, which GM is planning to launch at the tail end of 2010.

As far as Toyota is concerned, the plan for their new plug-in hybrid is to compete with Mitsubishi’s own all-electric car, which is set to be rolled out this month for 4.59 million yen – about $47,800.

While Toyota is still keeping the identity of their plug-in under wraps, folks from the company have said that these cars would be able to run 20-30 kilometers – or 12.4 -18.6 miles – on a fully-charged lithium-ion battery, which incidentally is being developed with Panasonic EV Energy Co. as part of a joint venture between the Japanese enterprises.

We’re all up for cars that can do Mother Nature a favor and Toyota’s goal of producing 30,000 of these cars in 2012 is something that we’re all looking forward to.