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I think lead acid is viable if you don't need range. However, in the long run, I'm quite sure lithium is cheaper. This is all due to how many cycles you get out of the batteries. You can (according to online info, I'm sure actual life is shorter for both lead and lithium) get 1000 cycles out of lead acid (@ 50% dod), but you can get 2000 (@ 80% dod) to 3000 (@ 70% dod) out of lithium. So, lithium would have to cost more than 2-3x more to come out even because of the depth of discharge advantage of lithium. It also has the weight advantage which makes the vehicle more efficient.
Right now, the price is right around 2.5x as much. So, the advantage isn't gigantic, but its definitely there.
Still, looking at a pack to rival a 156V 100Ah pack is gonna cost a pretty penny. You're looking at around ~$4900 just for the battery, then tack on $800-1500 for a charger. You'll probably want balancers since that seems to be the thing to do with lithium to preserve life too, and I'm not sure about their cost. Assuming you can get the car for a few thousand, I don't think that is all that bad, especially since you just gained at least 50% more range by going to lithium (between weight and dod advantages).
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