The popularity of mainstream electric cars is on the rise and a good example is the soaring demand for the Nissan electric vehicle LEAF. Nissan has decided to produce 12,000 LEAF models for the year 2010 and in US alone, the number of bookings is 13,000. Add to this, the 6,000 LEAF models booked in Japan and this implies that the LEAF has been sold out in the US for this year. This is one of the first green commuters that has the potential to go mainstream unlike the Toyota Prius which was too heavily priced for a layman. The LEAF features an 80kW electric motor and it is powered by laminated lithium-ion batteries that give the green automobile a 99mile range on a single charge.