Nissan's quick to separate its newest vehicle from the pack by detailing that the smiling face formed between the car's headlights isn't the only friendly thing about it:

Unlike internal-combustion engine (ICE) equipped vehicles, Nissan LEAF's power train has no tail pipe, and thus no emission of CO2 or other greenhouse gases. A combination of Nissan LEAF's regenerative braking system and innovative lithium-ion battery packs enables the car to deliver a driving range of more than 160km (100 miles) on one full charge.

Surprisingly, charging the LEAF doesn't take all eternity and you can be ready to go in less time than it takes to get a sunburn in the Florida sun:

Nissan LEAF can be charged up to 80% of its full capacity in just under 30 minutes with a quick charger. Charging at home through a 200V outlet is estimated to take approximately eight hours - ample time to enable an overnight refresh for consumer and car alike.

We'll know more about pricing of this zippy little thing as the LEAF gets closer to being on the market (around late 2010), but it's expected to qualify for an "array of significant local, regional and national tax breaks and incentives in markets around the world." Saving money and the environment? Maybe this eunuch of a car is worth it after all. [Nissan]

From WiredBiz's twitter feed:

A sub $10,000, zero-emissions car will be the most desirable consumer electronics device in history.

Apparently, the quote came up while discussing Tesla with founder Elon Musk. When asked how he is reacting to the Detroit meltdown, Wired editor Chris Anderson noted in his twitter feed that Musk would like to buy a car factory and build 100,000 cars a year. That having been said, do you agree or disagree with Agassi's assessment? [Wired Biz]

This vehicle from University of Waterloo in Canada uses a 400kg fuel cell to turn on-board hydrogen and airborne oxygen into energy that powers two 67-kW electric motors. If the SUV demands more power, it has a backup battery that is charged in part by a regenerative brake, like on today's hybrids.

They actually let me drive the thing. Here's what I thought: The ride is extremely smooth. Since the SUV doesn't have an engine, it's relatively quiet, especially when accelerating. Most of the noise comes from the oxygen intake system, but it only comes in quick bursts. The brakes are sensitive, but part of the reason for that is to use the kinetic energy harvested by braking for recharging the battery. A touchscreen computer in the center displays all the diagnostics, and shows where the vehicle is getting its power.

The truck holds about 4kg of hydrogen packed at 5000psi, which gives it the equivalent of ~25mpg. It is extremely clean, as the only emission given off by the vehicle is a bit of water, a byproduct of the fuel cell process. It tops out around 65mph, but that can be improved in the future. The main problem with the fuel cell SUV is the lack of places to fill up the tank. Hydrogen fueling stations are a long way from the mainstream, and the team said there are only two locations where they can reload on the way to Washington, DC, their final destination on this tour. Hopefully this will change soon, because a clean, abundantly available fuel source seems like a pretty good option to me. [Challenge X]