Nissan began construction of its factory that will produce batteries for its electric car, the Leaf, in Smyrna, Georgia on May 26th. The plant will have a capacity of up to 200,000 battery packs a year.

What’s in the pack? 48 modules, each with four cells (so, 192 cells total) arranged in a big square. The part that sits under the real seat is a little taller than the rest, as the modules are stacked vertically while the other modules lay horizontal under the front seats and floor. The entire pack weighs around 600 pounds and contains around 9 pounds of lithium. How will people use the Leaf? Find out Nissan’s expectations after the jump.

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General Motors’ 2011 Chevy Volt hybrid-electric car will not be compatible with 85% ethanol blends. However, GM still plans to make future Volt models E85-compatible.

Tom Stephens, GM vice chair for global product development, called for more government support of ethanol and a need for more E85 stations during his Tuesday speech at the Renewable Fuels Association conference in Florida. Stephens mentioned that early editions of the 2011 Chevy Volt may not be E85 compatible, several news outlets have reported.

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The Wheego is a neighborhood electric vehicle (NEV) that comes in at under $19,000.

During the drive, regenerative braking does recapture some of the energy that was used to make the car go. The regen braking in the Wheego is incredibly soft, especially compared to the one-foot drivability of the Tesla Roadster. We were able to coast for a full block from over 20 mph and still needed to tap the brakes at the stop sign. The Roadster won’t let you do that and we kind of like keeping out foot off the brakes. You can’t get going any faster than 25 mph in the Whip, at least not in California, and pressing the brakes is somewhat heartbraking. There are nine states where NEV laws allow the Whip to top out at 35 mph, and Korchin did bring up the issue of changing California’s laws to allow NEVs to go faster in the Golden State with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger when he stopped by the Wheego booth during AltCar 2009.

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Jay Leno’s new show may feature celebrities racing green cars.

One idea for a recurring comedy bit includes a ‘green-car challenge,’ in which celebrities would race electric or hybrid cars. Tom Cruise has already asked whether he could do some practice runs before competing, Leno said. (The host told him practice runs are forbidden.)

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