Nissan unveiled its electric car for the masses, the LEAF, a bubbly hatchback, in Yokohama, Japan at its newly constructed headquarters, today.

Says one of Nissan's many reps, the company is "betting the farm," on electrics.

"Betting the farm" takes more than just constructing a car, it takes the creation of a vast new infrastructure to support the electric car. That means charging stations in homes, quick charging stations at convenience stores and malls. Charging stations at the office. It means getting the public to abandon what it's accepted for many decades, getting utilities and municipalities on board as well.

In short, it takes a vast connection of unrelated moving parts to synchronize and accomodate Nissan's electric car. But, by sheer force of will, it almost seems, Nissan believes that it will succeed. It's already had nine "markets" commit in the United States, as well as other towns in Japan and Europe. According to Andy Palmer its SVP of product planning, "others are knocking on their door."

The car--should you be not want to click through our slideshow--is a rounded hatchback. From afar it looks ugly, born to the egg species of auto, but up close is palatable, and intriguing. It is seductive if you believe in the electric vehicle, as contraption that frees you from oil, or contraption that 'uniques' you.

"Some people said, this car looks normal," says Shiro Nakamura, Chief Creative Officer at Nissan, "but that's intentional. The customer wants to be recognized, 'I am driving an electric vehicle.'" Yet, says Nakamura, no one wants to be in a "strange" car. Indeed, the car looks normal, but has enough of a distinction to let people know that it is an electric.

Nissan is still not revealing a price for the car. Speaking at the unveiling, Carlos Goshn, Nissan's CEO, said the "The car will cost as much as a comparable internal combustion engine car, minus the batteries." When the customer leases the battery and pays for electricity, the monthly cost will be less than gasoline. We imagine the entire ordeal will be about a break even proposition for the driver, when you factor in the hassle, and other unseen costs that might arise.

Our best guess for the price: $30-$40,000 for the car, plus a cheapish lease on a battery that costs $10,000 or so to make. Those numbers are unparalelled in electrics, but Nissan says it will be a profitable operation, thanks in no small part to generous government support for the program.

The LEAF will get around 100 miles per charge depending on how it's driven. It's top speed will be below 90 mph, but the car handles well and accelerates with a powerful zip.

From this hatchback, and platform, Nissan plans to launch more cars including a sedan, in the next five years.

Nissan is staking its company on the success of the electric car. To be sure, it's not abandoning the internal combustion engine, but it is taking the opportunity to own the electric car market, the way the Prius now owns the hybrid market.

Will it work? Will the company sell hundreds of thousands of electric cars as it hopes by 2012 when the car is sold around the world? It seems like a long shot, but we'll see if pent up demand for an alternative to gas cars is unleashed.

Nissan clearly believes in that pent up demand, and is pushing its chips to the center of the table. Of all the major automakers, it's the only one that can truly make that claim.

Disclosure: Nissan was kind enough to fly Jay Yarow to Japan for the LEAF unveiling. While there, Jay's also riding bullet trains, gobbling sushi, and checking out castles. So he's feeling pretty warm and fuzzy about Nissan right now.

