Not only that, if this battery had been available first then the attack on someone pushing Li-ion would have been:

[x] it lacks thermal stability at low or high temperatures.

[x] it is too likely to catch fire or explode.

Too many people think Li-ion is magic, when it just happens to occupy a particular niche of characteristics that let it get a good early jump in the race for portable power. Nothing about the chemistry involved mandates it remain in a position of primacy.