[ratdude747]

Originally Posted by pilleya

There are two main types(most commonly used) of LiFePO4 cells 18650’s and A123’s

Laptop Batteries, cordless tool batteries(lithium ones), Tesla car’s etc.
Use 18650 cells.18650 cells look like big AA batteries.

The safety of 18650 cells is well documented, like all high capacity batteries they have the potential to be very dangerous. Most battery packs which use them, such as in laptops or cordless tools, have a lot of protection/safety measures built in to prevent problems. If FRC was to move towards LiFePO4 batteries, for safety reasons I would say that the some elements of the electrical system would have to be redesigned, to limit the potential for injury/error.

Not really, you make the controller part of the pack, just like with laptop packs and the like. Even add a push button charge indicator for extra functionality at a low marginal cost. The hardest part would be the current sense circuit, as we're talking pretty high peak currents compared to most packs. Not to say it's not doable (it almost certainly is), but it would take a corporate partnership for this to happen in FRC. Unless somebody already makes rated packs with a sufficiently robust casing, in which case, half the work is done.