The auto industry is eagerly anticipating the debut of the first electric vehicles in the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt. The future of electric cars may hinge on the reception of them by the public. One important statistic is the number of early adopters who commit to the product.

If Nissan’s sales in Japan are any indication, electric vehicles have a long and bright future. Nissan, the third-largest Japanese automaker behind Honda and Toyota, recently released the preliminary sales figures on the new Leaf model.

According to the report, Nissan has already received 6,000 preorders, which was its target for total sales of the vehicles in the first year. The company began taking pre-orders on April 1, but the car isn’t due to hit showrooms until December.

Last month, Nissan revealed that the U.S. and Japan had combined to order 13,000 units, suggesting that the car will be popular in the U.S. as well.

Until electric vehicles are widely adopted, those who want to go green when they drive should consider looking at hybrids like the Toyota Prius on the used car market.