Oct. 29 (Bloomberg) -- Cars are going electric and Nissan Motor Co. is leading the way. At least that’s what the Japanese company was saying last spring at a media presentation in Bear Mountain, New York.

Nissan’s plan for a mass-market electric vehicle was surprisingly ambitious, and to prove it wasn’t all talk I was allowed to drive a test car with the electric power train around the parking lot.

The five-door hatchback now has a name, the Leaf, and an on-sale date of December 2010 in select parts of the U.S. The price will likely be around $30,000, with buyers also getting a $7,500 Federal tax rebate for electric vehicles.

Between that discount and savings on electricity versus gasoline, the company claims cost of ownership could be a third less than a comparable, well-equipped car.

“People who thought we were 5 to 10 years from seeing electric vehicles are suddenly realizing we’re only 12 to 14 months away,” said Mark Perry, Nissan’s director of product planning. “Better get ready.”

Electric vehicles, or EVs, are getting a big push by manufacturers, and the alternative fuel is increasingly looking like the buzz of the future.

Three years ago, only Tesla Motors, the Silicon Valley startup, and General Motors had announced plans to sell EVs. Tesla was first out of the gate with its $109,000 Roadster. The Chevrolet Volt is supposed to begin arriving in November of next year.

Ford Focus

In the next three years, consumers can also reasonably expect to shop for Ford Focus EVs and entrants from California- based startups Fisker Automotive, Aptera Motors and Coda Automotive. Hundreds of Mini E cars are now being leased in California and New York.

So what do aspiring buyers need to know? Technologies differ. EVs run only as long as the batteries are charged (like the Tesla and the Leaf), but use no gas. Other types, known as extended-range EVs or plug-in hybrids, can engage small gasoline engines to recharge the batteries when the charge runs down (the Volt and Fisker Karma). You can always fill up and keep driving, but oil is still in the equation.

Range is an issue, especially with the lack of a national quick-charge infrastructure. EV automakers endlessly quote the statistic that most Americans drive fewer than 40 miles a day, allowing recharging at night. If you do overextend a pure EV’s battery, a flatbed truck is in your future.

GM Volt

“The Volt is an extended-range vehicle, so infrastructure won’t define our success,” said Rob Peterson, GM spokesman. “On a full charge and a tank of gas, the Volt can travel 300 miles.”

The Volt, which can go 40 miles solely on battery power, should cost somewhere between $35,000 and $40,000, though the company has yet to release the price. It will have a “controlled” launch, with “thousands built next year and tens of thousands the years after,” said Peterson. Expect sales first in locales like California and Seattle, considered more EV-ready due to urban concentration, weather and consumer interest.

Nissan went with a pure EV approach because it wants a leadership position, said Perry. “We believe the best way to reduce CO2 is to produce nothing at all -- you can’t get any better than zero.”

(It’s worth noting that while pure EVs create no tailpipe pollution, the same may not be true for the power stations that supply the electricity to charge the vehicles.)

If some carmakers are going all in, others are only dipping a toe. BMW-owned Mini has 450 electric Coopers in southern California and the New York metro area. Pre-vetted consumers were given an $850-a-month, short-time lease which includes insurance, maintenance and a home quick-charge station.

Field Test

Project Manager Richard Steinberg described it as a field test, but said the company hopes to have a continuous offering.

“Despite the price premium, we have strong early adopters who are really enamored with technology,” Steinberg said. “Usually it’s people with some money who are looking to make a statement that they’re not using foreign oil.”

If you want something hotter, the Fisker Karma range- extended sedan is supposed to roll off the production line in June 2010. Chief Executive Officer Henrik Fisker designed cars for BMW and Aston Martin, and the sedan could out-sex a Maserati.

Starting at $87,000 (not including the tax credit), it will go head-to-head with Mercedes, Jaguar and Lexus, said Fisker.

“We don’t see ourselves competing with electric cars,” he said. “Normal people will decide it’s time to change from a V- 8. This is a premium luxury car with no compromises.”

All Torque

There’s still an important question: How do EVs drive?

The good news is that an EV’s maximum torque is available from zero revolutions-per-minute. Basically its full thrust is ready from the moment you touch the accelerator.

Tesla’s Roadster will hit 60 mph in less than four seconds and even the Nissan test vehicle felt pretty zippy as I looped the parking lot earlier this year.

GM’s Peterson said, “Until you’ve experienced instantaneous torque, you can’t truly understand why people get so passionate about EVs. But once a customer gets a first drive, they understand how different and fantastic they can be.”

(Jason H. Harper writes about autos for Bloomberg News. The opinions expressed are his own.)

To contact the writer of this column: Jason H. Harper at Jason@JasonHharper.com.

Last Updated: October 29, 2009 00:01 EDT