Lithium batteries are the new technology, with a higher energy density, lighter weight, better discharge characteristics. Safety characteristics, however, require more sophisticated charge monitoring, usually built-in as a result. There are several different lithium-based chemistries used...
Lithium Polymer batteries have surely helped making this car better, but I am sure that even with the old Ni-Cd batteries it was a good car. Yet, these electric cars of the 90s had little success in Europe. One problem, obviously, was price, more than twice that of the equivalent gasol...