General Motors Co. GM -4.56% showed off an electric Chevy Silverado. The Chrysler brand is ditching gas engines and going to an all-electric lineup. And Japan’s Sony Group Corp. SONY 0.02% plans to jump into the electric-vehicle fray, creating its own car unit.

News of battery-powered vehicles dominated the CES technology conference in Las Vegas on Wednesday, the latest sign that the momentum around EVs continues to build both within the auto industry and in other sectors, even if the shift is still barely noticeable in showrooms today.

Car companies are pouring money into the development of electric vehicles and battery factories, investments spurred on by stricter tailpipe-emissions rules and Tesla Inc.’s TSLA -5.35% meteoric rise.

The transition is also stoking new rivalries in the car business, as well as intensifying older ones. Competition is expected to be especially fierce in the market for electric pickups

“Make no mistake—this is a movement,” GM Chief Executive Mary Barra said Wednesday during a virtual presentation tied to CES. She listed about 10 EVs that will be on sale within two years, compared with just two today.

GM also unveiled an all-electric version of its top-selling Silverado pickup truck, a much-anticipated introduction that comes as buzz is growing for the truck’s future rival: Ford Motor Co. F -2.67% ’s F-150 Lightning.

GM and Ford executives closely monitor each other’s moves, especially in the truck market, where the companies have long sparred in pricey advertising campaigns over everything from towing capability to the durability of the pickup bed. These high-price pickups are core moneymakers for the auto makers, driving the bulk of their profits.

Detroit’s biggest car companies are additionally squaring off with new startups like Rivian Automotive Inc., RIVN -11.22% which released an electric pickup of its own in the fall, beating both GM and Ford to market.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said at The Wall Street Journal’s CEO Council Summit last month that the auto maker’s futuristic-looking Cybertruck would be produced at high volume in 2023, and will be Tesla’s best product.

Other traditional car companies are fortifying their bets on EVs, as well.