A 12th car relies on the weight of the 4-cell pack to make it handle. If you go to LiPo and 380BL, the car's won't handle anything like as well. It will require a change of chassis design, a change of tyres, and the development of the 380 motor to get back to where we are today.

If you're worried about not getting Sub-C cells, you should also be worried about not getting the appropriate 380 motors - that's an even smaller market!!

The battery maintenance issue is now a red herring. EnerG cells are back where we used to be - charge, race, store, charge, race, store... - so the case for LiPo diminishes in 12th, especially as it doesn't suit the class for either weight or voltage. And LiPo is already a problem, with drivers over-charging to get more speed, turning packs into short-life specials. Once IFMAR allow LiPo, the battery wars will start and this gentle, lo-cost, long-life pack will get to be none of those things!!

I hope that LiPo never gets anywhere near 12th until the cells in development, that give us the voltage and weight we need, are available.