Love the way those batteries stack, clip and connect together, very tidy, out of sight, no need for connecting cables on top. Lot of thought gone into that.
I started using Li-ion batteries many years ago both for bike and a pocket-size jump starter. Superior in all respects to wet cells, except cost. Though with the long life span maybe even that is not relevant. My two 13 year old batteries are still going strong.
And as with many products, as usage has increased, the prices have come down. But they are still dearer than wet cells, and vehicle manufacturers are very conscious of saving a few bucks wherever possible.
Still, I'd happily pay a few bucks more for the bike to have this technology. Isn't that what this new bike is all about?