YOKOHAMA, Japan - Nissan Motor Co on Sunday unveiled the prototype of its first mass-volume electric car, the "Leaf," which is due to go on sale in the United States and Japan in the latter half of 2010, followed by a global launch in 2012.

Here are some facts about the car:

- Name: Leaf

- Class: medium-sized hatchback

- Seating: 4-5 passengers

- Cruising range: 160 km (100 miles)

- Top speed: over 140 km/hour (87 mph)

- Battery: Laminated compact lithium-ion battery developed and manufactured by Automotive Energy Supply Corp (AESC), a joint venture between Nissan and the NEC Corp group.

- Charging time: 8 hours on 200V; 16 hours on 100V; 30 minutes with three-phase 200V fast-charge station

- Powertrain layout: front motor, front drive

- Other features: Dedicated IT system that shows on the navigation map the driving radius within range of remaining charge in the car's batteries. The driver can also check on the state of charge online or on a cellular phone, find charging stations within range or use a timer function to turn on the air conditioner or begin charging using cheaper electricity available at night. -Reuters