Nissan needed this one. The general industry consensus has been that the brand lagged in innovation and advanced technology. As Toyota Prius dominated in the "green" arena, Nissan laid back in the shadows.
"Too expensive, over-priced with a short driving range between charges,??? competitors have been taking some hard shots at The Nissan LEAF, the first mass-produced total electric car.
Okay, so to start with it stickers at $32,780.  Gulp! That is a little pricey, but the ‘green’ buyers will initially line up throwing money at the dealers to be among the first to own and be seen by their peers driving this rolling statement of social responsibility. So far Nissan claims 80,000 potential buyers have lined up for a shot at the product.
And, there is a $7,500 federal tax credit. In some states (California) an additional $5,000 tax credit taking the car down under $20,000.
Factoring in the cost of electricity per kilowatt hour against the cost of gasoline, everyone that tested the Leaf agreed the car came in with an economy equivalent of 99 miles per gallon.
Originally they were touting 100 miles between charges, but in tests from a number of sources it seems like it’s more like 73 miles. It could be considerably less in heavy traffic, stop-and-go or with heavy accessory loads or heat and air running. Maybe as low as 42 miles in extremes. And, it appears nobody has data on the car’s performance at sustained highway speeds of 70 miles per hour. Well darn.
I suggest maybe, if you are a LEAF owner you might consider driving with the windows down in summer or a heavy coat in winter, and if you want tunes try whistling or singing to yourself. I would also ask your employer for ‘flex hours’ so you won’t have to drive in stop-and-go rush hour traffic.
All humor aside here for a moment, I really believe it’s going to be a great car and I believe prices will come down and technology will improve as Nissan takes a position as a "pioneer" in electric vehicle technology (to quote Carlos Ghosn here). 
By all reports the car drives and handles flawlessly, quality is exceptional, and it offers zero emissions. Perhaps Carlos is right, maybe it’s not criticism as much as ‘envy’.