A year ago and now, whenever I search Sony VTC 6 specs. It shows Max Continuous Discharge Current at 20A. So shouldn't the VTC 6 be a 20-amp rated cell?
So based on my findings about VTC 6 specs. Shouldn't the battery able to support the 16.8 Amps?
"Sony gives this cell a continuous current rating of 15A but allows for temperature-limited operation at a level above that. You can run it at above 15A but only until you reach a certain temperature, 80°C, and then the discharge must stop.
"But this is not a high performance “power” cell, designed for high current. It is a high capacity “energy” cell designed for low to moderate power levels and long running time. At higher current levels the voltage sag and power loss in the cell are huge. Do not exceed 20A.
"I am giving this cell a continuous current rating of 15A (about 45W using 3.7V) and a temperature-limited rating of 20A (about 60W if using 3.7V) as long as the cell is never allowed to reach 80°C." -- Battery Mooch
Like Sonic said, read Mooch's analysis of this cell and decide for yourself if this is the best cell for your application.
I personally put more faith into Mooch's honest scientific analysis than I do any vendor's market-driven advertisement and specifications. A vendor can and will list whatever battery specs that will help him sell more batteries. We see this all the time with the battery rewrap brands who routinely grossly exaggerate their amp ratings. At least Mooch bench tests a battery's performance and then provides an honest analysis from a real world performance and safety perspective.
The Sony VTC6 and Samsung 30Q could probably support 16.8 amps for a short time, but you will likely compromise the 3000 mAh capacity and prematurely age the cell by pushing it so hard. Probably a better idea to use a real 20 amp battery IMHO.