I don’t know about that - yes it’s simpler to recycle but the cycle life is at least four times longer (I had accidentally understated in my post, did some more reading and lead acid is worse than I remembered), but apparently advanced LiFePO4 cells are getting potentially more like eight or nine times the cycle count!

So if you think about the amount of materials - lead acid are almost double the weight vs. lithium batteries per amp hour to start with, then multiply by two because of the usable capacity difference, times four to eight for the cycle life… So you’re talking having to recycle something like sixteen to thirty-two times the weight of the lithium batteries in lead, before the LiFePO4 batteries would have even reached their end of life!

It’s really almost unbelievable how much better and cheaper the lithium batteries have become!