Originally Posted by
lpranal
Was actually hoping to just buy some scooter batteries (10AH) since my daily commute is only about 4 miles and I can charge at work, I was hoping to get away with about $30 per cell (3 total)... not sure if this is realistic. I just need something to get me to work when I don't feel like riding my road bike, and maybe for getting groceries. I know I'll eventually go with lithium, but I'm going to wait and see if prices come down in the next year or so. Then again, if SLA ends up running much more than $100 i'll probably just end up taking your suggestion. Being new to this, my instinct is to get everything up and running, and then let UGI takeover
Don't expect any type of Lithium batteries to go down in price; instead, they will go up. Why? The US Department of Transportation is about to issue new regulations that will require any type of Lithium battery--including traditional Lithium Ion batteries used in most portable consumer appliances like cell phones, laptops, etc.--to be treated as hazardous material. That means transportation and handling costs will go up significantly for Lithium batteries as well as all consumer items that ship with internal Lithium batteries. The UN's revised regulations on the international transportation and handling/storage of batteries will also probably have the affect of driving up costs. I've ordered LIFEPO4 batteries to make a second pack for my bike. I'm even considering bumping up the purchase date for a new laptop.