toolguyd.com: Bosch’s wireless inductive charging system, which allows their specially equipped 18V Li-ion batteries to charge while still attached to a drill, driver, or other similar free-standing tool, incorporates some promising technology, but has been met with some criticism from tool users.
3 comments:
This all comes down to their “Systainer” like organizer system. If it can’t get stored in a box, there’s no place for it in their line.
But that’s a great thing! If you can put your drill back in the box at the end of the day and it’s charged in the morning, that’s perfect.
I wonder why they haven’t released it in the US? I wonder if it’s a factor of the power specs they have over in Europe.
I wonder if they’ll just start building the charger into the boxes. Like, if they put the chargers in the boxes, get the boxes UL listed, and make them click together, you only have to plug one box in and everything in the stack will charge.
What is noted in First Thoughts is accurate. This is good for a contractor working out of a van. It doesn’t work as well for a shop in a building.
This won’t take off in the US, I don’t think. But give it some time, and we’ll see a really clever system that does this, but better, cheaper, and convenient enough for the necessary price tag.
So now we’re charging our wireless screw guns wirelessly…
Seriously, what a day to be alive. Wireless charging is something that has fascinated me for a long time, more from a nerdy curiosity as to if it would actually be possible to do than from a real practical need for this technology. Even if, as I expect it won’t, this particular implementation of wireless charging will not take off or be a particularly game changing accessory for those who do purchase the system, its very existence can provide a platform for more practical implementations. For example, LED’s are cheep and small enough now to fit into practically any tool and require very little battery power. If it would be possible to equip an entire tool table or shelf with this technology and put little LED’s to help us see our projects in all our wrenches, screw drivers, or even small lasers in our levels and simply have them charge while in storage and just work. That could become a potentially very impactful product.
I do not want to say that a wireless charging station is pointless, but I do not see any point in it. Now If you could charge your tool while using it that would be something to talk about but just like with wireless phone chargers, if you are going to put your phone down to charge you might as well plug it in. It is not difficult to slide your battery off your tool and on to the charger. I would assume that if Bosch made this advancement it was because they saw a need for it in the market or their research found people would like it, but at least in all the work I have done in shops and on jobsites the hard part about charging a tool is walking to the charging station, not disconnecting the battery. So although I do not see a need for wireless charging of any sort I trust Bosch that it isn’t pointless.
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