Mike wrote in with a tip that Dewalt is getting ready to launch their DCB205 18V/20V Max 5.0Ah battery packs in Europe. It took very little looking around before I realized his information is perfectly spot-on.
Dewalt has announced the European launch of their new 18V XR (20V Max) 5.0Ah Li-ion battery pack (translated press release). Their 18V-class cordless tools are marketed as 18V XR internationally, and 20V Max in the USA and North America, so don’t let that part throw you off.
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The new battery pack shares the same form factors as the brand’s 3.0Ah and 4.0Ah batteries, and weighs about the same. You can expect to see about 66% longer runtime compared to Dewalt’s 3.0Ah battery packs, and 25% longer runtime than their 4.0Ah battery packs.
According to a Dewalt owners manual we found, the charging time is said to be 90 minutes. A built-in LED fuel gauge lets you know when it’s time to find the charger or swap batteries.
Dewalt says that the new 18V/20V Max 5.0Ah battery pack will be compatible with all of their existing Li-ion cordless tools of the same voltage. In other words, the new battery pack will work with all of their slide-pack-style 20V Max and 18V XR tools. This is something that certain other brands – specifically Makita, with their confusing 18V LXT 4.0Ah compatibility issues – cannot say.
As you can tell from the timing of our past coverage, Dewalt first released their 4.0Ah battery pack in Europe, and then in the USA many months later. We asked Dewalt about rough USA availability for the 5.0Ah battery, and are happy to report that it’s expected to hit the shelves this summer.
In addition to being available separately, the new Dewalt DCB205 5.0Ah battery packs will be bundled in a slew of new combo kits, with model numbers ending in “P1” or “P2.” For instance, a (2) 5.0Ah battery-equipped DCN692 brushless framing nailer kit will have the model number DCN692P2.
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Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like compact 2.5Ah Li-ion batteries will be launched with the 5.0Ah batteries, but maybe we’ll see them down the road.
As a reminder, Bosch recently announced 5Ah batteries of their own, and Makita’s are already available outside the USA. We’re certain that Milwaukee is also preparing to launch an M18 5Ah battery pack, but haven’t heard any tips or official news about the matter.
Europe ETA: Imminent
USA ETA: ~Summer 2014
Thanks Mike for the tip!
Chad
I need a another pair of 20v batteries for my collection and am waiting for these to hit. I hope they follow it up with a brushless 20v circular saw soon to capitalize on both the 5ah batteries and the gain from brushless. It will be nice to finish more cuts without having to swap batteries mid cut.
Chris
Be nice to pick up one of these bad boys when they get released!
Cameron
right as I get the 4.0…..of course haha
james
The author should modify the title of the article to remove the word cordless.
Battery packs don’t have cords. Battery packs are battery packs and drills can be cordless.
Stuart
Good point, thanks!
Sean - The Tool Nut
Any info on weight sacrifice? I wonder where the tipping point lies between longer run time vs weight we carry around on the tool. We all remember 36 V tools. Its starting to seem like a possible race to the highest AH with an inevitable scaling back to the appropriate levels in a year or two. I wonder where it’ll stop? Maybe someone, possibly you Stuart, can chime in regarding AH’s in other products that are more technologically advanced (lights, etc?).
Stuart
A specs table I found says the 3.0Ah battery weighs 0.64 kg, the 4.0Ah battery weighs 0.61 kg, and the new 5.0Ah battery weighs 0.63 kg.
Their battery packs don’t have the same exact weight, but there’s no sacrifice.
The only tradeoffs here will be i) longer charging time, and ii) higher cost, but these factors could be balanced out by the greater capacity and runtime.
There are two benefits of higher capacity battery packs. The more obvious one is the longer runtime they provide. Beyond that, higher capacity battery packs can deliver greater power.
The ability to deliver greater power means lower utilization, cooler battery packs, and potentially longer battery life. Or it could open the door to a new generation of cordless tools with corded-like performance.
The race will stop once battery manufacturers can no longer develop cells with higher energy density. From the looks of it, 5.0Ah is a rough practical limit for Li-ion power tool battery packs, given the 2.5Ah cells that are available today.
If I had to guess, I would think the next step for brands might be to speed up charging rates, but there are downsides and challenges to this as well.
If we don’t see another increase in energy density, maybe we’ll see a shift in battery chemistry. It’s hard to tell.
You see the same kinds of changes in portable electronics and personal devices. Higher amp-hours means you can power previous-generation technology for a lot longer, or latest higher-powered technology for the same duration. Often there’s a balance between the two.
Sean - The Tool Nut
So the weight penalty is negligible. Makes sense that soon we’ll see a shift toward shortening charge times.
Stuart
Exactly – there is no weight penalty.
Maybe we’ll see brands eventually shorten charging times, perhaps with new chargers and battery cells that can handle the higher charging rates. Or maybe not.
I imagine that product teams are asking themselves the same question – “what next?”
Giovanni
Si ricarica in quanto tempo?
Stuart
90 mins.
SteveR
Stuart–Forgive my ignorance; can the new 5.0 aH batteries be used on my ancient (2011) DeWalt impact drill/driver? It looks shorter in the photo than the 1.5 aH batteries my DCD785 came with, although it may just be my perspective. I don’t recall seeing any dimensions (other than weight) listed. Also, does the drill still stand upright on its own with this new battery? It looks like it might tip over owing to the smaller footprint. Obviously, it appears upright, but the photo could have been staged with the drill lying on its side (again, just my perspective). Thanks.
Stuart
Those are reasonable questions.
First, it should fit your DCD785, no problem.
Second, the drill shown above is Dewalt’s DCD995 premium brushless hammer drill, which is a lot larger than your DCD785 compact drill. This drill is larger than your drill, which might be making the battery pack appear smaller than you would expect it to be.
Lastly, given that the 5Ah battery pack should be the same size and about the same weight as Dewalt’s 3Ah and 4Ah battery packs, the center of gravity shouldn’t change at all. If your drill/driver can stand upright with a 3Ah or 4Ah battery, then it should be able to do the same with a 5Ah battery. I have yet to see a drill/driver that could stand up with a compact battery pack and not a high capacity battery pack, so there shouldn’t be any issues there.
Greg W.
Why does europe get the good new stuff before the USA?
Mahalo
Would you rather be the guinea pig?
Greg W.
With Dewalt and Makita, heck yes! I like both of their existing batteries, so I would love 5 amps from both.
mike
Does this mean other manufacturers are going to follow suite soon?
I just bought some 4.0 ah batteries for my Porter Cable stuff. Is there really going to be all that much difference?
I can see if you are a contractor or building tradesman how these could help. Especially with saws and such.
Stuart
For the time being, I would only expect to see 5.0Ah battery packs from premium and pro-grade brands. My feeling is that brands like Porter Cable, Craftsman, Ryobi, Skil, and Black & Decker won’t be able to build or sell 5.0Ah batteries at price points their typical users would be willing to pay.
Colin
Will be interesting to see whether the 25% increase in runtime vs. 4.0 Ah batteries can offset the jump in price. You can buy the 4.0 Ah batteries for less than $60 apiece vs. the $85 street price for these.
Jan Egil
What charger is the best to be used for this batteries or more important which give the shortest charging time?
Chien Dam
Can we charge Dewalt DCB205 5.0 Ah battery with DCB113 – 3.0 Amp output charger?
Stuart
Yes, I believe so.
You can use any Dewalt 20V Max or 18V XR Li-ion charger.
Chien Dam
Thanks Stuart