Speaking to a crowd at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Friday, November 13, 2009, Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn pronounced the automaker's electric offering, the LEAF a "real car" not a "golf car." In the emerging EV genre, the LEAF, which has quietly evolved alongside the more-hyped Chevrolet Volt, has a number of attractive features.

Using motors with power equivalent to a 100 hp engine, the five-passenger LEAF sedan relies on batteries that can be recharged to 80% capacity in half an hour. The car can make the zero to 60 jump in less than 10 seconds and will likely debut at an opening price of $25,000 to $33,000 late in 2010.

Ghosn predicted that by 2020 electric vehicles will account for 10 percent of all car sales, an ambitious goal in the face of a limited infrastructure to support their long-distance use. Nissan, cognizant of this fact, is also working on a program to establish public charging stations in several U.S. cities.

"The LEAF is a new paradigm of the car," said Ghosn. "LEAF represents a totally new transformational technology that will change the way people drive, use, and power their vehicles. And the time is right for this breakthrough."

"With our alliance partner, Renault, we are taking a position which is unique in our industry which is a comprehensive approach that goes beyond our vehicles alone," said Ghosn. "Our vision includes lithium-ion battery development and lifecycle management, infrastructure support and collaborative partnerships that educate and engage the public."

Current Nissan is taking the LEAF on a national tour of 22 cities in 11 states starting in southern California and ending in New York on February 14, 2010.