When I visited Milwaukee Tool for their Pipeline media event last month, I asked a burning question – when can we expect to see Milwaukee’s first pouch-style cordless power tool batteries?
The answer – when they’re ready.
This isn’t a race. There is no room for mistakes. Safety is paramount.
Although there’s always room for surprises, I don’t think anything is in the plans for 2022.
Read Also: Will Milwaukee Respond to New Cordless Power Tool Battery Tech in 2022?
To the benefit of cordless power tool brands, there is no shortage of companies vying for the attention and business of electric vehicle makers and other industries in need of next-gen battery cells.
Shown above is a series EnPower pouch-style Li-ion battery cells. EnPower is a US-based company focused on advanced battery technology development and manufacturing. They are one of many companies working on modern high performance Li-ion battery cells.
At the most recent Pipeline event, where Milwaukee Tool showed off their brand new state-of-the-art manufacturing center, a Milwaukee product manager confirmed to me that they are exploring multiple next-generation battery technologies.
During my tour of Milwaukee Tool’s headquarters last week, we visited one of their battery labs, which focuses on Li-ion cell testing and analysis. I last visited this lab in 2019, and as I have a deep interest in such things, I noticed that the room was populated with new equipment and test chambers.
Milwaukee has a separate room where they conduct battery pack testing and cycling, but it has not been a part of their media tour for several years.
Milwaukee Tool product managers and engineers haven’t let anything slip regarding their plans. Pouch-style batteries are something they are and have been working on.
But, I was also given the distinct feeling that they’re working on something else, too.
At the time of this posting, two Milwaukee competitors already have pouch-style battery packs on the market. Dewalt has a single pouch-style battery – a compact 20V Max 1.7Ah pack, and Flex has numerous pouch-cell batteries for their 24V Max line.
Milwaukee Tool seems convinced that, although they won’t be first, their next-gen batteries will be best.
I think that 2023 is going to be a big year.
