No need to change anything else on the car...it's just a power source at the end of the day!
Take a browse around some of the online RC shops for the various options of what to get...there's a big and growing choice overall. Off the top of my head...
Battery's £60-£90 depending on the brand/capacity.
Charger's, balance chargers range from £60 to £150+ depending on quality/power/charge current rating.
Charge case...seems to be personal preference...some poeple like to use them, I personally charge my lipo's in the car or at least where I can see them.
Lifespan is hard to determine, it depends on how the cells are charged/discharged during their life. Suffice to say, it's longer than a set of NiMH's!...100+ cycles at peak performance...much longer in reality although the punch does slowly decrease over time. My packs are still perfectly usable after a years weekly club use.
