I'm not so worried about the battery in my '06 HCH for two reasons:

1) If I drove the car long enough for the battery to go south, I'm fairly confident that by that time the cost and efficiency of replacement batteries (aftermarket even) will improve dramatically.

and

2) By the time the battery wears out, I'll be driving another state-of-the-art/current 80-90mpg hybrid, and the illegal aliens here in So. Cal will get stuck fixing the battery in my (then) old-style hybrid. More power to 'em (to coin a phrase/pun).

Heh Heh....