By THOMAS CONTENT

It's August. The forecast calls for weather in the 90s. You pull into a parking ramp downtown and plug your hybrid-electric car into a charging station.

By midafternoon, with air conditioners all over town running full tilt, the local electric utility can't keep up with the demand. So instead of charging up, your car's battery begins feeding power back to the grid -- saving the city from a brownout.

That night, an app on your cell phone confirms how much money you saved on your electric bill by helping out.

This scenario may have seemed far-fetched just a few years ago. But today, more and more utilities are working with transportation researchers on developing the infrastructure for an advanced way for Americans to fuel their cars and trucks.

And some lawmakers and businesses are working to position the Milwaukee region as a leader in the industry.

"This is an area that's going to be growing in national importance, and there are some really unique opportunities that we are well-positioned to take advantage of," said state Rep. Jeff Stone (R-Greendale).

By the end of the month, a group of legislators including Stone will introduce legislation that would give a tax credit to consumers who buy plug-in hybrids and provide a property tax exemption for the value of improvements made to parking ramps by adding portable charging stations.

At the same time, the region's business community is gearing up to contribute to -- and profit from -- the smarter power grid and related developments aimed at reducing global warming emissions from vehicles.

Some examples:

- The state's largest company, Johnson Controls Inc., is planning to expand its role in developing a supply-chain for plug- in hybrid vehicles, with a nearly $600 million public-private investment that it says could create 4,700 green jobs.

- One of the state's smallest companies is looking to sell portable charging stations for plug-in hybrid vehicles. Electricharge Mobility of Brookfield has been demonstrating its technology to local companies, colleges and city planners.

- Madison Gas & Electric Co.