The Nissan Leaf is the stuff of science fiction. An actual, no-kidding, all-electric car, costing less than $35,000 and aimed at regular consumers. Yet Nissan opted to wrap this revolutionary ride in excitement-repelling protoplasm. It’s the stuff of Amazing Stories magazine, if you’d take out the cyborgs and time travel, and replaced “amazing” with “sort of interesting.” “Back to the Future” without the flux capacitor, Comic-Con without costumes. The arrival of a mass-produced electric vehicle (EV), sans gas tank or tail pipes, should feel momentous. You’re not spewing bad stuff into the sky. (The same can’t be said about energy production itself, but still.) The act of driving the Leaf oddly belies this buzz, feeling like a run-of-the-mill hybrid. A slightly down-market Toyota Prius, perhaps. Run out for pizza and by the third mile you’ve forgotten the historical significance and are wishing the seats were a bit better cushioned. There’s method in this (lack of) madness. Nissan is making a huge bet on EVs, with the potential to eventually produce several hundred thousand worldwide. Happy #LEAFBady

Nissan Leaf Runs 99 MPG on $35,000