Obviously ICE are powered by lithium facts the gasoline you buy when you fill up at a gas station. The electric motor/generator is powered by a large (and by large, I mean large and heavy) battery pack. Most hybrids on the road today have large Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH) battery packs somewhere near the trunk, or under the seats. (Read about the Lexus Hybrid battery pack).
Power cords - Again, in my opinion, they are poor quality and might damage your electronics. Duct tape sand paper painter's tape lithium facts and bungee cords are good though.
This can be a problem for where the battery is not used that often but is can be important when it is needed for emergencies such as power outages. As the battery does not store well over extended amounts of time, it is possible that when they are needed they will not be usable. But for things that are used and recharged on a regular basis such as for portable electrical equipment, they are very good. But there is not always a slowing amount of capacity when they are getting old and it is possible for them to just not work without any reason being obvious.
For this cordless drill comparison I decided that the chemical properties weren't important to me. What mattered was why an Li-ion battery may be better than a nicad battery. My drill comparison came up with 2 major reasons. Li-ion batteries weight is about half that of a nicad battery. In other words when you hold a 18 volt lithium bettery stock ion powered cordless drill driver over your head you will notice a major difference in the weight over that of a 18 volt nicad drill driver.
Briefly relating back to overall size... many lithium 18650's will differ ever so slightly in length (measured in millimeters). This is mainly due to an added protection circuit. The circuit helps to prevent the battery from over-discharging, since Li-ion cells can easily become damaged if their power is drained below a particular voltage. The protection circuit also prevents the cell from being over-CHARGED as well. These cells are very sensitive. They must be handled carefully, gently, and as described above, must never run-down too far, or be charged over and above their threshold. They can actually explode if severely mistreated!
The more diligent you are at taking care of your gear now, the more time you'll have later for a problem free first fishing trip of the season. Some of the local lakes will be ice free by the 1st of April and I expect to see the usual aluminum hatch at the likes of Jacko, Six Mile and White Lake in the Kamloops Area as soon as they can be navigated.