IIRC, the EV1 program was more or less specifically set up so the leases were up before any battery packs were likely to go South. The anger came from those (many drivers of it) who said to GM that they would gladly foot the maintenance/replacement costs if only they could hang on to them/buy out the lease.

It would've been no cost to GM that way, but GM also had an interest in making sure that no retail numbers for the replacement cost existed- if you think people use 'Battery cost' agianst hybrids now, imagine what they would've done about the EV1, and 10 years ago!!

Then adding insult to injury, they sort of publicly shredded them all. I think 2 are left- one at GM and 1 (nonfunctional) at a U. Wisconsin? Had they simply mothballed them, life would probably be ok and the anger would've subsided.

Hope the movie swings by here- with Inconvenient Truth and then Syriana coming on DVD in June, you could make a full day of oil-hatin' on the big screen!