Want to check the charge on your electric car? There's going to be an app for that -- our friends at Engadget report that the upcoming Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid electric car will have an iPhone app that goes along with it. Features aren't firmed up yet, but ideas being passed around after a demo at last week's LA Auto Show include both setting up functions inside the car like scheduling when a charge happens (to take advantage of late-night power rates) and receiving notifications from the car, including when it's charged and/or when you forgot to plug it in for the night or other worrying situations like that. I'd love to even see an app that can track mileage from the car, or give you diagnostic information when something is wrong.

Obviously, this is pretty pie-in-the-sky at this point (and implementation is obviously tougher than coming up with ideas for it), but I'm all for it. With the advent of the iPhone and all of the things it can do, it's quickly becoming a one-stop shop for communication between all your various networks and appliances. Why not have your car text you when it needs something? Oh wait, I've got to go -- my car just texted me that it's lonely out there in the parking lot. Back in a bit.