LiFePO4 will become the preferred battery technology for traction purposes and other situations in which high discharge characteristics and cycle life are important. (LiFePO4) batteries are based on the original lithium-ion chemistry, but LiFePO4 is used as the cathode material instead of lithium cobalt dioxide (LiCoO2). The latter is found in the most commonly used batteries in laptops, cell phones, MP3 players, etc.
LiFePO4 is an intrinsically safer cathode material than LiCoO2 since exothermic reactions cannot occur in batteries based on this material: LiFePO4 cells do not incinerate or explode under extreme conditions. In addition, LiFePO4 cells have a higher discharge current, are not toxic and have a much higher cycle life than LiCoO2 cells.