smc
Jack Rimer and danny at smc are in the business of selling batteries. What do you expect them to say: buy 1 lipo pack and use it for 5 years?
Lipo and nimh are on par only because you have to weigh down a lipo pack by 8 ounces for them to have the same weight. Take away that 8oz and a nimh pack doesn't stand a chance (once you setup the car for the lighter weight.) I am not even talking about less part breakage, less tire wear, etc.
The only reason people are talking about a new battery war is because the hardcore r/c racer market has more money than sense. If you make a gentleman's agreement to run a specific lipo pack (brand and model,) the "battery wars" will never even start.
But r/c being what r/c is, the hardcore racers and manufacturers will take every technological advance and find a way to lose more racers because of it.
Oh well.
As for charging lipo's at 1c,2c,3c, go back and read some of linger's posts. He actually works with lipo cells for the medical device industry (I think) and has great knowledge to share.