Hawaii Pacific Health’s Bill Markevitch was the first person in Hawaii to get his hands on Nissan’s new electric car — the Leaf. Markevitch is a development executive who fundraises for Kapiolani Medical Center, Hawaii’s Children’s Miracle Network Hospital. The car has already sold out for this fiscal year after 6,000 orders from Japan and 20,000 from the U.S. and has a suggested retail price of $33,780. But after applying a Hawaii state rebate and federal tax credit totaling $12,000, the price drops to just over $21,000. (The MSRP for a basic 2010 Toyota Corolla of $15,450.) Hawaii was one of six launch states for the car and showed the greatest per capita interest in it, the company’s North American sales chief said.

The Leaf’s rollout comes as Korean electric car maker CT&T plans to build a $50 million electric car plant on 50 acres in Kapolei.

Read it at the International Business Times.