[flecc]

P.S.

Another example is the way in which progress announced triumphantly can actually be a backwards step, this example I've referred to before. For years we had cobalt based Li-ion technology which had it's shortcomings, so the magnesium based batteries appeared, accompanied by fanfares with great claims of even better performance. In fact they were only fractionally better than NiMh, had much shorter life than those, and also had over 25% less capacity than the cobalt based ones they replaced.

And it has to be remembered that NiMh had losses compared with the Ni-cads they replaced, much slower discharge capability and possibility of being permanently damaged if charged beyond a certain voltage.

It's for these sort of reasons that lead-acid still hangs on, and the motor industry refuses to move onto anything else for the essential function of vehicle starting. Since lead-acid is essentially the same as the very first cells ever invented, we are still in reality at the square one of the 19th century for our most common battery usage.