Nissan Leaf owners can get their batteries refreshed under new warranty options

Nissan Leaf owners just got a huge Christmas present from Nissan. The company has modified its warranty clause for Leave Electric Vehicles, promising to restore battery capacity for any cars that fall below a certain threshold within five years or 60,000 miles.

Executive Vice President Andy Palmer announced the new policy Thursday, telling Leaf owners that Nissan would "repair or replace" any lithium-ion battery that drops below nine out of the 12 available bars - about 70 percent of its original capacity.

The new warranty is set to go into effect in the spring of 2013 and would apply to the 2011, 1012, and 2013 models. At first the coverage will only be available to US markets, but Nissan plans to extend coverage to other markets soon.