Bosch says Core battery delivers more power

Bosch unveiled its Core 18-volt 6.3-Ah lithium-ion battery, model GBA18V63, at January’s World of Concrete show in Las Vegas. The company says the new battery delivers up to 80 percent more power than previous generation Bosch batteries, made possible through the implementation of new technology, including larger cells that cool more quickly than the competitions.

“There are three things you can do to improve a battery and improve run time. You can change the cell, you can better manage the heat or you can better construct the battery. And with the Core we’ve actually done all three of those,” product manager Theron Sherrod says.

He explains that Bosch’s engineers increased the size of the 10 high-density cells by 15 percent, enabling users to get more power out of the battery. They improved the battery’s heat management system so it can transfer more heat to the outer surface, resulting in up to a 35 percent better cooling effect than the company’s previous Cool Pack batteries.

“The worst thing that can happen to a battery is for it to get hot while it’s running, so we’ve come out with our Cool Pack 2.0, where we wrapped each cell in its own compartment so we can transfer as much heat out of the cell as possible,” Sherrod says.

“On the inside, we use copper plate for connectivity to the cell. Our competitors use a galvanized metal, which is not as conductive as copper. We also use a technique called laser welding, making the top of the cell to the copper one piece. Anytime you introduce an impurity or other metal, you are adding resistance and that adds heat. So galvanized metal and solder add head, which reduces run time and battery life.”

Sherrod adds the laser welding process represents a multimillion-dollar investment from Bosch.

The batteries are fully compatible with all Bosch 18-volt lithium-ion tools and chargers. A bare battery sells for $149, but they will also be available in charger and tool kits.

For more, visit www.boschtools.com.

This article originally appeared in the March 2017 issue.