Nissan recently held its Canadian debut for the all-electric Leaf hatchback. With lithium-ion batteries and seating capacity for five, it'll have a range of some 160 kilometres, and a top speed of 140 km/h. According to Nissan, it has absolutely no carbon footprint and because it’s electric, will also be completely emission-free. "The only way to get to 100 per cent zero emissions is via electric cars," says Nissan Canada director of marketing, Ian Forsythe. "It’s the only way to go."

Interestingly, Nissan chose lithium-ion batteries (the same kind found in most lap-top computers) to power the Leaf’s 107-horsepower electric motor, and, in this form, they’re laminated, mainly to deal with heat build-up, which has been a consistent problem with lithium-ion. Recharging times can vary from eight hours to 30 minutes, depending upon the type of charging station. A home-based, 220-volt set-up, for example, will do the job in about eight hours, while, a 480 - 600 volt facility (found at most gas stations, funnily enough) can do it in half an hour.

"Ease of charging is key to the success of the Leaf," adds Forsythe, and between now and its launch, in 2012, the City of Vancouver and BC Hydro will apparently be installing re-charging facilities throughout the city. Among other things, some 20 per cent of all new condo developments in the city will be required to have 220-volt re-charging stations. Hydro will also add the Leaf to its fleet in 2011 and the city has signed a memorandum of understanding with Nissan.

A couple of things distinguish the Leaf from its competitors. One, it has almost sports car-like performance and can easily keep up with traffic and then some, and two, it’s "production ready" now and will be available at Nissan dealerships, in the same way you would purchase a conventional automobile. The company assures us that dealers will have them in their showrooms by 2012, and Vancouver will be the first city in the world to get them.

Although it’s based on the Versa platform, the Leaf is actually somewhere between an Altima and a Sentra in size, and is a one-of-a-kind model in Nissan’s fleet. It will seat five adults and comes with regenerative braking to help recharge the batteries during operation. The batteries themselves are located under the floor, in the middle of the vehicle, and this arrangement gives it a low centre of gravity and decent handling, all things considered. And here’s a cool little feature: you will be able to "talk" with the Leaf - and it with you - via your cell phone/communication device to determine things like the state of the battery charge.

No price yet from Nissan, but it will be competitive with other, similarly-sized competitors....likely in the $30,000 neighbourhood.