Nissan Premiers Totally Electric Car

No engine, no tailpipe, no noise... Nissan's electric car takes to the street.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Catholic Online) - This past weekend Nissan Motors let the world get a peak at its first electric car, the Leaf. Attendees at the unveiling watched as Nissan Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn drove the silent vehicle out of their new headquarters building in Yokohama.

According to Chuck Squatriglia, of "Wired" magazine's AUTOPIA, "The prototype of Nissan's forthcoming electric car may look like a breadbox, but the technology beneath that boxy body could propel the Japanese automaker to the front of the EV pack when the car hits the road next year."

The test car described by Squatriglia in the article a few months ago looks nothing like the Leaf. Designer Shiro Nakamura told the Associated press that the vehicle was designed to avoid a stereotypical futuristic design.

"This is not a niche car," he said. "We didn't make it unusual looking. It had to be a real car."

The leaf, which is scheduled to go into production soon and be distributed globally in 2012, reportedly can travel 100 miles on a single charge of its lithium-ion battery. According to Nissan's description of the new vehicle, "Nissan LEAF can be charged up to 80% of its full capacity in just under 30 minutes with a quick charger.

"Charging at home through a 200V outlet is estimated to take approximately eight hours - ample time to enable an overnight refresh for consumer and car alike."

The success of Nissan's electric car came partly through the financial support of the effort by various national governments, as the costs exceeded the normal $300 to $500 million for model development. A $1.6 billion loan from the U.S. government will be used to retool a Tennessee plant to produce the electric car alongside the hybrid and regular vehicles now manufactured.

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