Nissan: batteries not included?

"Nissan made an announcement that will help address those pesky battery-life questions: they may lease the batteries separate from their electric cars. And aside from mitigating consumer concerns about battery life, it may go a long way to proving a true apples-to-apples cost of ownership, comparing pure vehicle cost of Nissan’s electric car versus the Chevy you’re driving now, plus the lease fee of the battery versus your current gas-pump fill-up bill. A pretty brilliant idea on the part of Nissan, who plan to put hundreds, if not thousands, of their electric cars on the road here in the States and in Japan for real-world testing in 2010."
--I think it is ONLY brilliant, if they have leasing the battery as a option. The ability to market the car with a starting price tag similar to its peer is a great marketing/sales advantage, but there is a lot of resistance to any sentence with the words 'lease only' and 'EV' in it. If they do indeed decide to go 'lease only' it will be met with skepticism, if they have both options it will be 'innovative' and a great idea for both manufacturer AND the consumer.
I know for myself, I have always said the following, "I will BUY the first 4 seat EV vehicle that I can service locally" I have no other criteria and I think I am not alone in this thinking. A lease is a non-starter for me.