Nissan is bringing the electric car back from the dead. Sure, the Tesla Roadster has made the electric car cool again, but the 2011 Nissan Leaf is the first, full-electric mainstream vehicle to be put on sale for the American consumer. Unlike past electric cars, the Leaf can be purchased outright instead of leased, so there's no being forced to give it back to the manufacturer after two years to be studied and then destroyed.