Or it could have resulted in a commodification of battery condition that would have created markets that help eek out usefullness at the later stages of battery

Or it could have resulted in a commodification of battery condition that would have created markets that help eek out usefullness at the later stages of battery life. A $10k surcharge to swap to a much newer battery also means you could have a $10k discount on buying an EV then slowly pay to swap to higher and higher battery grades.