Nissan introduced the Nissan Leaf in 2010 as one of the first mass-produced modern electric cars.
The Leaf was a five-door hatchback powered entirely by electricity from a lithium-ion battery pack. Its launch made a fully electric family car available in major markets at relatively large scale, rather than limiting electric vehicles to small fleets or experimental programs.
The first-generation Leaf used a 24 kWh battery and an electric motor driving the front wheels. It was sold in Japan and the United States from December 2010, followed by other markets.
The Leaf is sometimes described as the first mass-produced electric car, but that wording can be too broad because earlier electric cars existed. Its importance was its combination of mainstream production, international availability, and modern battery technology.