Nissan has announced that it will begin taking orders for its upcoming all-electric Leaf, a highly-anticipated vehicle that, along with the Chevy Volt, is expected to determine how alternative fuel is accepted by the general public.

While the company has already received 18,000 reservations at the price of a refundable $99, those do nothing more than hold a buyer’s spot for the vehicle. To actually place the order, buyers will need to go through all the options at their dealer, according to Reuters.

One of the options is a $700 “fast charger” that can reportedly bring the vehicle to 80 percent charge in 30 minutes, expected to be popular with drivers.

The Leaf will be rolled out in Arizona, Tennessee, California, Oregon and Washington before expanding to Hawaii and Texas in early 2011 and eventually the entire country by the end of next year.

Buyers who are interested in the all-electric vehicle may want to wait until it hits the used car market, as the current cost of the technology is rather expensive, but may decrease in the next few years.