Originally Posted by
notapilot15
Which part is not true?
If they are confident battery is safe with moving around spacers, they don't need 120+ lbs steel box.
As long as there is a steel box, it is not a permanent fix.
Steel box dead weight is almost equivalent to one paid pax.
This is a question from a non-pilot, with no hidden agenda.
If it is true that the steel confinement weighs about as much as one pax, and
if the choice of lithium batteries over nicads is driven by weight, is there any net advantage for lithium?
Perhaps the numbers work out differently for a very electrical aircraft like the 787, which presumably needs more battery capacity than most designs? But I suppose this is a routine consideration in aircraft design; but perhaps the politics of getting FAA approval is an added factor for Airbus? How do the lifetime costs of regulatory processes compare with small differences in weight?