Lithium and Nickel Metal Hydride

[BenCrook]

I have an application for a rechargeable battery. My question is, which is the better technology--the rechargeable Lithium or the Nickel Metal Hydride? Is one or the other preferable for rechargeability? for current density? for discharge voltage characteristics?
Thanks

 

[battman]

Lithium ion is a 3.6 V system while NiMH is a 1.5 V system (compatible with alkaline batteries). If you have a high energy application, then Li-Ion is the way to go.
With regard to charging and cycle life, NiMH can generally be charged faster and will have longer cycle life than Li-Ion. State of the art charging technology can charge NiMH in about one hour to 80% of capacity and there is technology in development to charge in as little as 15 minutes. Improvements in Li-Ion charging technology have made charging in one hour possible commercially.