My initial thought was exactly the compartmentalization idea. Also, as far as I understand Lithium-based battery tech you can't really have/ship a "flat batter

My initial thought was exactly the compartmentalization idea. Also, as far as I understand Lithium-based battery tech you can't really have/ship a "flat battery", it has to have some charge in order not to break down on itself. If that's the case then yeah, the simplest option "ship it without fuel, like an ICE car" goes out the window.