Heat is the biggest problem for traditional LiFe batteries. Also, the anode is coated with a layer of carbon and can crack causing battery failure. There are a few technologies available that have solved the carbon cracking issue for LiFe. Altair Nano uses a nano titanate coating on the anode, has no need for carbon and can handle 60,000 charge/discharge cycles. Standard LiFe can only handle about 10,000 charge/discharge cycles. A123 uses an olavine nanophosphate, a totaly new formulation for LiFe developed at MIT. These batteries can handle whatever charge you can throw at them, they discharge very fast as well, 250 amps. They can handle a 120 amp discharge without problems. If I were able to choose what batteries for my laptop or other devices it would be A123 first, then Altair Nano. Dewalt's portable power tools and BMW's hybrid have chosen to go with A123, I would hope PC manufacturers make the same choice. Advantage, 2 minute charging for something like a laptop with hours of use. http://www.altairnano.com http://www.a123systems.com/
