Nissan's Leaf electric vehicle officially became available for order this week, with the Japanese automaker taking 6,635 reservations for the zero-emission EV. All reservations were made on line and required a $99 refundable deposit.

The Nissan Leaf officially became available for order on April 20, but only those individuals that previously expressed interest in the car are currently able to place orders. The Leaf ordering process will become available to the general public on May 15.

Nissan expects to have 25,000 orders of the Leaf by the time it goes on sale in December. Nissan is currently building a plant in Smyrna, Tennessee that will eventually have the capacity to build 150,000 units of the Leaf per year.

After a federal tax credit of $7,500, the Leaf will carry a retail price of $25,280, excluding destination. Leaf buyers will also be required to setup a home charging station. The charging station will set customers back another $2,200, but Nissan says half of that amount is eligible for a federal tax credit.