Originally Posted by
nwmtnbkr
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.
That's really interesting, I did not realize that. I'm really curious to see what happens though, because increased production SHOULD drive down costs, in theory, because of economies of scale. I'm also not sure how much this would actually drive up costs, as I'd hope companies would already be handling lithium batteries with certain amounts of care already. I can think of a few things already considered "hazardous materials" that aren't very expensive. In any case, thanks for the heads up!