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The Nissan Leaf is an electric car manufactured by the Nissan Motor Company. The company has said it plans to begin selling the Leaf in the United States in December 2010.

The Leaf has a maximum range of 100 miles per battery charge. Nissan has noted that road conditions, weather and battery age can affect the range. Running the heater and air conditioning also will reduce the car’s range.

The car requires no gasoline and has zero tailpipe emissions. It can reach a maximum speed of 90 miles per hour.

The manufacturer’s suggested retail price for the Nissan Leaf is $32,780 but tax incentives of up to $7,500 could reduce the cost of the car to about $25,280.

If the car is plugged into a standard household outlet, it could take as long as 20 hours to charge fully. A higher capacity 220/240 Volt outlet will charge the Leaf’s battery in about eight hours.

In addition to the United States, the car will be available in December in Japan, the Netherlands and Portugal. Sales are expected to begin in Ireland and the United Kingdom in February 2011.

More information:

• Nissan Leaf USA website

• Nissan Zero Emissions website

(Photo: Wikipedia Commons)

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