A123, the company that could hold the keys to General Motors’ plans to market a plug-in hybrid  by 2010, has pulled in $30 million in fresh venture capital.

The funding round, led by CMEA Ventures, was joined by A123’s list of blue-chip corporate backers as well as previous investors North Bridge Venture Partners, Sequoia Capital, Ventures, FA Technology Ventures, Carruth Management, and OnPoint, the venture-capital unit of the U.S. Army. A company representative Wednesday said the latest round brought A123’s total funding to $132 million.

Watertown, Massachusetts-based A123 plans to build new manufacturing sites as it enters the automotive market. GM, which remains the world’s largest auto maker, has made a highly publicized bet on the Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid. The company hopes to leapfrog the popular Prius hybrid from rival Toyota, but the batteries that could give the Volt the needed range have yet to be developed.

Corporate investors in A123 include Procter & Gamble, Alliance Capital, Motorola, Qualcomm, and General Electric, which Wednesday announced two research projects worth $6.8 million with the Department of Energy to accelerate the development of plug-in hybrids. The projects call on GE to develop hybrid drivetrain motors and high-energy capacitors, which can temporarily store a charge.

In August, GM and A123 announced a co-development deal for battery cells to power next-generation electric plug-in and fuel cell vehicles. GM has been airing TV commercials for the Chevy Volt even though the car remains on the drawing board.