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We get a charge out of driving Nissan Leaf

CNET Car Tech gets to take the Nissan Leaf electric car for a preview drive.

Wayne Cunningham Managing Editor / Roadshow
Wayne Cunningham reviews cars and writes about automotive technology for CNET's Roadshow. Prior to the automotive beat, he covered spyware, Web building technologies, and computer hardware. He began covering technology and the Web in 1994 as an editor of The Net magazine.
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Wayne Cunningham
Wayne Cunningham/CNET

Watch this: 2011 Nissan Leaf

Nissan brought a preproduction version of its new Leaf electric car to San Francisco, letting us get our first drive in the car. As the lead vehicle in what could be a new generation of electric cars, Nissan has done a lot of things right.

The car feels very easy to drive, offering smooth and quiet acceleration. Leaf models will come standard with navigation, which Nissan also ties into the ever important range tools.

Most impressive is the price. At $32,780 it might sound on the pricey side, but a Federal tax credit knocks $7,500 off the price. A number of states also offer a $5,000 tax credit, putting the real price of the Leaf around $20k.

Check out our video as Brian Cooley gets his first taste of the Leaf.