The Nissan Leaf is a five-passenger battery-operated electric car. It will be the first mass-market electric car in nearly a century. It is powered by a lithium-ion battery pack that gives it a 100-mile range. It can be recharged in the garage from normal house wiring, or it can be recharged in about 30 minutes at a quick-charge station. Here is a nice introduction to the car:

Nissan rolls out electric car at new headquarters

Nissan has promised that the Leaf, which goes into mass-production as a global model in 2012, will be about the same price as a gas-engine car such as the 1.5 million yen ($15,000) Tiida, which sells abroad as the Versa, starting at about $10,000.

It should be available in the United States next year.

Nissan’s greener-than-chlorophyll EV: The LEAF (includes the Nissan press release)

Nissan unveiled the LEAF, a five-seat compact, all-electric hatchback with lithium-ion batteries (24 kWh energy storage and max output of 90kW), giving the car a top speed of 90 mph and nominal range of 100 miles – a magic number, Nisan figures, in Americans’ driving psychology. The car’s electric motor generates 80 kW (107 horsepower). Depending on how you define your terms, the LEAF will be the first mass-market EV sold in the U.S. since the 1920s.

The car will be produced in Japan and at Nissan’s facility in New Smyrna, Tenn.

See also – how to start the car: