[Tommy]

I spent many, many hours researching Lithium-Iron-Ion batteries for my Cheetah project. Here are some things I learned. 1) The ones sold by USA companies AND intended to crank cars with big engines are expensive (~$1,000). 2) They require special battery chargers. 3) Less expensive ones were available from China but you have to know enough about Amp-Hours and Cold Cranking Amps to get one that would both start your big block engine and last with all your electrical accessories on while idling in traffic. 4) ALL of them use basic Lithium cells (look sort of like C cells) linked together and controlled by a computer that keeps the cells balanced and controls the flow of current into and out of the battery. The controllers determine whether a battery can provide enough current to start an engine. 5) Manufacturers pack those cells, heat sinks and controllers in a box that looks like a traditional battery just so people are comfortable with how they look.

I was looking at lithium batteries because I wanted big electrial power to fit in a very small space. I couldn't make it work for me, so I went with a conventional battery. Given their cost, I couldn't justify a lithium battery just to save 25 pounds in a street machine.