We are using over 100 gen 1 VEX IQ Superkits and many of the brain batteries are reaching the end of their useful life and must be replaced. I can buy new gen 1 batteries for $24 each or new gen 2 batteries for $52 each. Both are 2000 mAh so should provide similar duration of use between charges. Are there any advantages of the gen. 2 batteries that would make them worth the extra cost?
They’re pretty functionally equivalent. Here are the major differences between the two:
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Gen 2 IQ battery uses Lithium Ion cells (as opposed to Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) on Gen 1) and charges via a USB-C Port on the battery (old chargers will NOT work on Gen2 batteries).
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Gen 2 also has LED Charge status lights on the unit so you can easily tell how much charge your battery has without having to plug it into a brain and power it up.
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The Gen2 battery does have a bit of a hump on the bottom to fit the Li-Ion cells and extra tech required for that battery chemistry, so it is slightly larger in volume than Gen1.
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bkahl gave the technical answer, I will chime in with the functional answer.
Gen 2 batteries are worth the investment. We bought 10 total last year for 4 teams, and have not had to replace a single battery. One battery typically lasts a whole competition, though it will depend somewhat on the power loading required.
The Gen 2 batteries do not suffer the memory problems that the NiMH ones do, and you would likely buy 4 gen 1 batteries for every 1 gen 1 battery. Make the change to Gen 2 batteries, and also buy some good, high power USB C chargers. Monoprice has some excellent ones.
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My kingdom for a post edit function…
Should be "4 Gen 1 batteries for every Gen 2 battery. 
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Let me offer a different side than @EngineerMike. I work with a smaller program, about 65 V1 kits and 6 V2 kits.
In one location with a combo of V1 and V2 battery packs, they managed to destroy two V2 packs by leaving them plugged into the V1 charger across the long weekend. I don’t know if that will be a problem unless you replace all your packs at the same time.
Teams also don’t remember to do things like pull the battery packs out across Christmas and summer break, so they end up being completely discharged on the roboteers return. I can save some by doing the “motor as a generator trick”. I don’t know if that works with the V2 battery packs.
There is also the lost, stolen, broken issue. I’m always amazed when teams manage to misplace battery packs, even though they all have the team names / numbers on them.
I get about 6-7 seasons out of a V1 battery if it’s not abused. (4 events per team in a 22 week build season) I’ve not seen any posts about long term use/life of the V2 packs.
Because of all of this I continue to buy V1 battery packs for V1 teams. (And I replaced the V2 battery packs with the V1 on the mixed brain type team) There is the cost and TBH, it’s not hard to get teams to remember the rule “ABC-Always Be Charging” at events.
As always, YMMV
Add a kingdom to that, I’m happy to chip in to get edit back. 
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