ONICD Batteries These are the oldest type of cobalt mine cell phone battery and as is the case with the laptop computer are less reliable than the newer types.
Nonetheless, the Volt is not something in GM's immediate plans. The idea for the Volt would require that a cost efficient 400-lb lithium-ion battery be found. lithium facts-ion batteries of this size are not currently available. Further advances in battery technology would be required to allow GM to consider making the Volt a production car. These are enhancements that could occur in as little as a year, or as many as 20 years. GM has stated that they feel the technology is almost there, yet a vehicle like this is probably about a decade away.
This can be a problem for where the battery is not used that often but is can be important when it is needed for emergencies such as power outages. As the battery does not store well over extended amounts of time, it is possible that when they are needed they will not be usable. But for things that are used and recharged on a regular basis such as for portable electrical equipment, they are very good. But there is not always a slowing amount of capacity when they are getting old and it is possible for them to just not work without any reason being obvious.
For this cordless drill comparison I decided that the chemical properties weren't important to me. What mattered was why an Li-ion battery may be better than a nicad battery. My drill comparison came up with 2 major reasons. Li-ion batteries weight is about half that of a nicad battery. In other words when you hold a 18 volt lithium bettery stock ion powered cordless drill driver over your head you will notice a major difference in the weight over that of a 18 volt nicad drill driver.
You have more power to perform work better and faster such as drilling and screwing than the smaller model. Once I used the 18v model I found that I prefer to use it more often because it gives me more power to complete the same task with less effort. At the end of the day it is better and faster, productivity counts.
The bottom line, be gentle to your lithium-ion batteries. If you excessively charge the battery, with high voltages, and heavy load conditions, it will shorten your battery's life. It's best to charge at a slower rate.