Nissan is calling its new electric car—the Nissan LEAF —the "world's first affordable, zero-emission car." And with a post-federal incentive price of about $25,000—plus local and state incentives that could reduce it even further—the company has set an aggressive price for all the electric competition to meet.

Unveiled on August 2, 2009, the LEAF is a well-equipped, all-electric hatchback that seats five adults and can travel about 100 miles on a single charge.

When Can You Buy it?

Nissan's process for buying a LEAF begins with placing an online reservation requiring a $99 fully refundable deposit. Note that as of September 2010, Nissan has temporarily stopped taking reservations due to demand—they've taken 20,000 reservations wordwide, including about 14,000 in the U.S.—but has said they will re-open the reservation list as soon as possible. However, with an initial capacity of 50,000 LEAFs annually, Nissan is far from sold out for the first year.

In December 2010, the Nissan LEAF will first become available to reservation holders in the five early rollout markets of California, Washington, Oregon, Arizona and Tennessee. The car will next become available in Texas and Hawaii by January 2011. In April 2011 Nissan will add the markets of North Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Washington D.C., Virginia, and Maryland. By the fall of 2011 Nissan says that the LEAF will be available for purchase on a nationwide basis.

What's it Like to Drive?

The Nissan LEAF is powered by laminated, compact lithium-ion batteries, which generate power output of more than 90kW, while its electric motor delivers 80kW (107 horsepower). Altogether this allows for the LEAF to drive at speeds of up to 90 mph and deliver a 0-60 mph time of around 8 seconds.

As opposed to a combustion engine (which reaches its maximum horsepower and torque at higher RPM) the LEAF's motor has 100% of its torque available from a standing start. As a result, the LEAF has much better low speed performance than even some high-performance gas-powered cars and can hold its own throughout the acceleration from 0-60 mph. The LEAF has no transmission and does not need to shift gears as it accelerates, resulting in a very smooth ride. Also, unlike the continuously variable transmissions of most conventional hybrids, the LEAF is extremely responsive when its accelerator is pressed.

As almost every reviewer to date has remarked, including myself, the LEAF is a very easy car to drive. The steering is effortless and solid, and the car is incredibly stable in corners and during braking thanks to its traction control, vehicle dynamic control (VDC) and electronic brake force distribution (EBD). In addition, the heaviest object on the car is the battery, which has been put low and in the exact center of gravity to make the car one of the most balanced and stable vehicles I have ever driven.

Because of the quietness of the electric motor, driving the LEAF takes a bit of adjustment if you're used to hearing the whir of the engine. With the engine and emissions equipment gone, road and wind noise become more pronounced, but Nissan has done an excellent job of reducing those with sound insulation and innovative design so the end result is incredibly quiet. Unless you have driven an EV before, the LEAF will be the absolute quietest car you've ever driven.

How Do You Fill it Up?

If you're new to electric cars, gone are the days of driving to the gas station or navigating the fill-up rush after work. The Nissan LEAF has a 24 kWh battery pack that can be charged daily from the convenience of your own home. Since most people drive less than 40 miles a day and their vehicles spend a whopping 80% of the time parked in their garages, the vast majority of charging will be done at home during the evening.

There are essentially three ways you can charge the LEAF's battery pack: standard household 3-prong outlet, a "Level 2" charging station, and DC fast charging.

The most common of these methods will be the "Level 2" charging stations. These are special purpose stations that can be mounted on a wall or pedestal in your home, place of work, and virtually any other location that has electricity. They are capable of suppling a charge at 220-240V (just like the outlet for an electric dryer). While charging on a Level 2 station, a LEAF can add approximately 14 additional miles of range per hour. Charging from empty to 100% full at home, for instance, is estimated to take approximately eight hours using this method.

Nissan is offering Level 2 home charging equipment built by AeroVironment as part of a package deal when you buy your LEAF. The AeroVironment charging unit is expected to cost around $2,200 for equipment and installation and can be bundled into either your loan or lease price at the time of purchase. Nissan has said that the AeroVironment unit is optional and that customers are free to not install a Level 2 station, or go with another manufacturer's equipment. At the time of this writing there are Level 2 home charging station suppliers springing up right and left.

Many of these Level 2 stations will be "smart grid" enabled—meaning they can be automatically set up to start charging when utility rates are lowest or be turned off and on by the local utility in response to peak demand. However, you do not have to participate in those programs and can buy stations that are not smart grid enabled. In either case, the LEAF can also be programmed to start and stop charging based on your preferences (delayed, set times, or immediately). The LEAF's charging status can also be set and monitored via smart phone applications.

The LEAF's battery can also be charged at locations that install industrial level DC Fast Chargers—which can add about 80 miles of range to an electric car in under 30 minutes (80% of a LEAF's battery capacity). These DC Fast Chargers are now being installed at a variety of strategic locations in all of the initial LEAF launch markets as part of the EV Project. The reason you'll never see DC quick chargers being used to charge more than 80% full is that after that point, it takes much longer to fill the rest of the battery, due to the realities of physics and chemistry. That would defeat the purpose of a "quick" charge. DC quick chargers require industrially rated power supplies and cost a pretty penny, so they won't be used at home. It's important to note that if you want to take advantage of the DC Fast Charging stations, you'll have to add a $700 option to the LEAF at the time of purchase.

Charging from a standard 3-prong, 110-120V outlet at home (while doable with included equipment) is not recommended for heavy everyday use—although it can function quite well if you drive less than 40 miles a day and for "opportunity charging" if you stop off at, say, grandma's house for a cookie. Charging from a standard 3-prong outlet is known as Level 1 charging. It adds about 6 miles of range for every hour of charge, so it could take up to 17 hours to fully charge the LEAF's battery using that method.

How Far Can You Go?

Nissan says the LEAF will nominally travel 100 miles—meaning things such as temperature, terrain, extra cargo weight, and high speeds or aggressive driving could have a drastic effect on your actual range. If you were driving uphill constantly, in subfreezing temperatures at 80 mph with four large adults in tow, your range could theoretically drop to as low as 45 miles on a full charge. The process also works as a benefit on the opposite end of the spectrum. If you were driving in very moderate temperatures at 45 mph without any passengers on a flat surface you could perhaps squeeze 140 miles out of a full LEAF battery—hence Nissan's claim that most drivers will see 100 miles under most conditions.

Important things to keep in mind when wanting to extend your range:

• Drive as slowly as you can given the prevailing road conditions and your time restrictions. Speed is a killer and is the absolute most important factor for extending your range.
• Don't worry too much about things like heating and cooling the cabin and running the high beams. They have a minimal effect on range.
• If you're so inclined, Nissan has included an "Eco" mode that will stop the air conditioning from turning on too frequently and reduce the sensitivity of the accelerator pedal—resulting in longer range.
• Using regenerative braking, much of the energy you use going uphill can be regained going downhill.

Design and Styling

The Nissan LEAF's styling is recognizable as something different—an intentional feature. Much like the Prius design is now synonymous with "hybrid," Nissan hopes the LEAF design will eventually be considered synonymous with "EV." The LEAF's styling has elicited reactions ranging from "godawful ugly" to "cute and pretty"—so Nissan has clearly aimed at building something that people will either love or hate.

The LEAF's front end is characterized by a low hood (thanks to having no combustion engine), sandwiched between two V-shaped headlights reminiscent of shark-fins. The headlights work by reflecting light-emitting diodes (LEDs) off of shiny, blue-hued reflectors. The unique headlight shape is designed to cleverly split and redirect airflow away from the door mirrors, thus reducing wind noise and drag. Even with the headlight high beams on and the air conditioner running full blast, all the electronics in the LEAF will only consume 10 percent more power than if you were driving with them off.

One issue I noticed when driving the LEAF was that, due to the swooping design, there is a huge blind spot at both bottom corners of the front windshield. As a result, when making turns or going around corners, confidence that you're not going to run something over is undermined.

Because of the lack of emissions equipment, the LEAF's designers were able to take full advantage of the newly created space underneath the vehicle. The rear hatch has a cavernous depth, allowing for storage of much more cargo than meets the eye. But be careful, dragging around lots of extra weight will hurt your range. The swooping shape of the roof allows for tons of headroom in both the front and rear seats. In fact, during my testing of the LEAF I found that one 6'4" guy and one 6'3" guy fit in both the front seat and the passenger seat right behind and still had plenty of headroom and legroom.

The Nissan LEAF interior has been described alternately as simple, uncluttered, and elegant, as well as boring, drab and plain—reflecting the range of reactions and highlighting the fact that it will not appeal to everyone. The dashboard is bathed in blue light and the car makes pleasing sounds when you start it up. It will not feel alien to people stepping into it for the first time.

Connectivity and Driver Displays

The Nissan LEAF employs an exclusive advanced IT system. Connected to a global data center, the system can provide support, information, and entertainment for drivers 24 hours a day. The dash-mounted monitor displays the Nissan LEAF's remaining power—or "reachable area"—in addition to showing any nearby charging stations. Another state-of-the-art feature is the ability to use mobile phones to turn on air-conditioning and set charging functions—even when Nissan LEAF is powered down. An on-board remote-controlled timer can also be pre-programmed to recharge batteries.

With multiple levels of efficiency coaching and displays, a LEAF driver will never be more than one or two clicks away from knowing almost every vital stat necessary to get comfortable with the range limitations of their new vehicle.

Bottom Line

The Nissan LEAF is a well-designed and -engineered vehicle that treats the modern driver to all the conveniences and safety features he or she has come to expect—and more. Although its styling will not please everyone, no one can deny that at $25,000—and with availability on the world market—it represents a significant breakthrough at a time when the world truly needs it.