Jay Leno has a history with electric vehiclesJay Leno’s electric slide began long before the “Green Car Challenge.”Photo: Alan Light via FlickrOn his new show, which launched Monday night, Jay Leno will flaunt to the world his crush on electric cars.

Leno’s show will feature the “Green Car Challenge,” wherein celeb guests race against each other in specially built Ford electric cars for the best lap times on a specially built race track. The first guest in the hot seat will be Drew Barrymore (an obvious guest to kick things off, since we all know she likes riding in cars with boys), when she appears on the show Friday, Sept. 18.

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Ford is pumped about this primetime opportunity to plug its Focus BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle), which is due out in 2011, and is eager to show that unlike some Detroit automakers, it didn’t kill the electric car. Instead, Ford wants the public to know how fun! fun! fun! it is to drive electric cars and dispel any myths that they’ll leave you and your family stranded in a bad part of town at night far, far away from any recharging stations. These all-electric cars, unlike hybrids, will be totally reliant on lithium-ion batteries and will be able to zoom around for 100 miles on a single charge.

No word yet on whether NASCAR driver and all-around-badass-green Leilani Munter will be invited by Leno for an electrifying spin around the track this season.