Powerful, quiet, long lasting – Battery-driven forestry and garden tools

Abstract

Since end of the last decade the battery technology has experienced significant improvements. The combination of high power ability and good energy density enables forestry and garden tools at a comparable level to many gasoline power tools.

So far, electric tools could not break through for real outdoor applications as the cord limited the maneuverability or heavy and expensive batteries yielded non-attractive products.

For example battery chain saws of seasons 2015 and 2016 delivered comparably high power as small gasoline chain saws and exceeded easily about 50 cm²/s cutting performance. However, most applications still target for homeowner use. Now, more and more professional applications come into reach.

But compared to gasoline fuels there is still a significant gap in energy density of a factor 50 to 100 to the best Li-Ion battery cells. Therefore, smart technologies for efficient power conversion and energy efficiency are required.