The trick to making any battery last is to give it some exercise. The absolute worst thing that can happen to it is to sit dormant. If a battery is discharged about 25% of its capacity and recharged frequently, and NOT allowed to bounce around excessively, it should last several years. Keep the connections clean and tight, discharge/recharge often, and don't let it go dead and stay that way, or allow it to sit idle for long periods.
Jerry

"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln
Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt!
There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway
Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!