Living in the Seattle area, I checked out their proposed charge for replacing the batteries in my 2012 Leaf SL (had eight battery bars left so no urgent need to replace the batteries). They quoted me well north of $10,000 (closer to $13,000) for a refurbished battery pack that likely wouldn't hold much more charge than an OEM battery with nine or ten battery bars remaining. Since I paid little more than $5,000 for the car in March of 2012, I determined to run that car into the ground, toss it (hopefully sell it for what I can get) and pick up a later, but still old model Leaf for a similar price. Fast forward a year, I had the ability to sell my 2012 Leaf SL for about $4,800. I decided to sell because I found a 2013 Leaf SV with 10,000 fewer miles and, more importantly, eleven remaining battery bars (eleven out of twelve). The price at the dealer was $6,000, but with the new federal 30% used EV tax credit the price to me was only $4,200. With relatively new tires and barely worn brakes, the car was too good of a steal to ignore. I'll be back in the market for another Leaf in three years when, assuming the federal EV tax credit is still in place, I'll be eligible to take advantage of the federal tax credit again. By that time, the 2016 or 2017 models with just a bit longer range will be dirt cheap and I'll ambush the market again. With deals on existing older models so easy to find and the tax credit making the deals even more inviting, I don't see a need to EVER pay for a battery replacement on these vehicles--unless you're just obsessively devoted to recycling. Me? I just treat these older vehicles as throw-aways, intending to use them up and walk away. I might try to get a small market return when I'm done with them just to avoid the fee to dispose of them. The cars are great, very reliable and fun to drive. But with so little invested, I regard them as disposable short commuter commodities.