[EricH]

Speaking from the stand point of someone with a little bit of experience with LiPo and LiFePO4 batteries...

I agree with Art that LiFePO4 has a lot of potential, and a lot of cost. But there's another issue with those. Speaking from experience, to ship them anywhere, a) they have to go by ground and b) the originator has to have a particular certificate. They are lighter than an SLA, true, and provide pretty decent power, and can handle gentle to moderate motion forces... but I haven't seen anything more than that.

LiPo, properly handled (i.e., charged in a fire-resistant container and kept out of heat while charging, and kept from puncturing), is actually pretty safe. But, you do have to stop and take those precautions, which include monitoring the charger to take the battery off when it's done charging. And the odds of everyone actually doing so... Not good.


With regards to the second question, running at 100% power all the time: Could you do it, probably. But here's the problems:

• Battery Life--you think you go through batteries fast now...
• Variable speeds are useful, just ask your drivers.
• How are you going to get the power when you want it and not get it when you don't? Clutch design can be a bit tricky.