Consumer Reports had a user survey a while back that listed rechargeability as one of the top features, if not the top feature, the 17,000 plus people it surveyed were looking for in new HA’s. So it’s a consumer-driven demand. Compared to all the other daily care required for HA’s in cleaning them, putting them on for the day, taking them out at night, recharging them is hardly the hassle disposable users like to make it out to be. You do have to worry about the battery lifespan expiring someday and things like extreme heat could kill the Li-ion battery in short order, e.g., leaving your HA’s in a closed-up car in the sun for some reason. But other than that, it frees you from fiddling with small objects and having to worry about keeping a supply on hand. The main reason that I see for this discussion is that disposable users feel “threatened” and feel the need to make a case for continuing disposable battery use. Hopefully the world is big enough for both to coexist. And, yes, if you are someone like an intern or resident who has to work for 30 hours straight with little or no breaks, rechargeables might be impossible to use - which begs the question do you want to be attended in a life-or-death situation for you by someone who has been up, deprived of sleep, for 30 hours straight (we accept that situation and worry about whether the guy/gal is going to be able to recharge their HA batteries!). Crazy world!
P.S. I am a rechargeable HA user but if I had it to do over, I’d probably get a disposable version of my HA brand so that when it’s 107 deg F outside in the Texas summer heat (~42 deg C), I can work outside in my yard as long as I want without fear of cooking my HA’s (ReSound says 104 deg F is the upper temperature limit for the rechargeable HA use - which is pushing the limit - Apple says above 95 deg F is bad for the batteries in their devices). When I’m really old (hopefully) and relatively immobile and a totally indoor type (ever?), then I’ll feel more comfortable with rechargeables. Most people, though, probably don’t feel compelled to be outside when it’s 107 deg F…