Relax...someday we'll all be walking around with induction charged LiPo like packs in all our 'stuff'. Such packs will not need to be removed, and they'll charge themselves and automatically bill you (or even allow you to opt in and sell your unused mah to others) as you interact in the world. Some folks will invest early in greener tech in hopes that it'll help speed up, or at least encourage the more logical progression of technology evolution. In short...producing millions of little metal wrapped cells that only last 400 charge cycles and are pretty messy/expensive to dispose of or recycle is NOT the best that humanity can do. Chargers are also a factor...these day's it's certainly possible to integrate charging circuits into every battery powered device and still use less Earth resources than having separate bulky charger units with drawers full of hard wrapped cells in every consumer's home.
Money is imaginary, and theoretically infinite in abundance. The Earth's natural resources on the other hand, have some pretty hard limits (or at least very long and costly cycles to convert things into the next 'usable' state). The battery tech that ultimately wins out will depend on lots of factors...like production/energy cost, environmental impact, safety, and of course consumer choices.
The cool thing about Evolv boards is that they are currently the Arduino like system of the Americas for building your own vaping device. It's just a platform in which you can envision and build all sorts of mods around. The 'battery type' and charging system is up to you!
Why do people pay $200 or more for such a thing already shaped into a useable device?
Because they want one
It's true, you could build one yourself for a good bit less than $200 in terms of parts costs, but if you're making it by hand, or ordering up a prototype from a company that builds them for you, there will also be a considerable investment in time and tools (if you don't already have them). So....if you're not set up to tinker with electronics and/or machining/modeling...$200 may well be a bargain.
As supply catches up with demand...you'll see prices go down some, and you'll also see more 'choices' out there for DNA configurations. You'll also see more new models, tools, and kits come out as the platform 'Evolv's.
When I get done with mine, it'll be induction charged (no need to plug in anything...just set it near an induction pad) and all solid state. It won't have any 'buttons' (these days you can get low cost pre-programmed capacitive touch ICs for about the same price as a good quality mechanical button). The DNA board itself will be less than $60 shipped and mounted. I'll probably give myself a choice of battery boxes just to experiment and see which one I like the best. In the long run however...I'd like it to be the best balance between performance, consumer cost, and 'green' minded. Yes, I expect to have lots of problems with it...but the long range goal is to make it all work with LESS physical materials and greater efficiency in the 'total energy consumption' equation of the device's entire lifespan (from production to all the days it get used, to junking/recycling).
To 'me', this is the whole point of the DNA series. It's a starter platform to inspire people out there to try different approaches and platforms for the vaping community....a pre-programmed controller chip all ready to go. Developing and programming your own board like this would cost months of research and wouldn't be exactly 'cheap' to prototype on your own. Yes...you could get an IC programmer's kit and do your own circuit and custom tweak your design to suit your needs...but there's no way you could do it in such a small and neat package for less than $50 as an individual or small company.
Give it time...if you don't want a DNA that uses LiPo, you'll certainly be able to get one that uses what ever batteries and switches you might prefer. If it's still too expensive for you...that's OK too...there will be plenty of last year's tech to buy for much cheaper.
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