The price of an OEM
The price of an OEM replacement battery will always be very high. Just as any OEM part is more expensive than an independently produced part.
that said, as the author notes the development of a Li-ion replacement is not a simple thing.Cooling and BMS need to be engineered to a very high degree of confidence. However, if successful they offer the possibility of a replacement that is either lighter for a comparable capacity or a battery with more capacity and thus a greater contribution to economy.