Why are small batteries (like AA & AAA) standardized but not bigger batteries (like power tools or E Bikes)?
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Small batteries have been around for a long long time, and standardization made sense because your batteries were expected to be able to pop into any of a hundred or so devices. With most larger batteries, there is standardization as well, like car batteries (their sizes usually start with the word “group” followed by a number). Even power tools and e-bikes usually have standardized battery types and sizes inside the battery pack.
That’s the confusing bit. My DeWalt drills use different battery packs from my Hilti or Milwaukee tools, but if I were to crack the casing on those packs, the individual batteries would be very similar to each other. It just makes more sense to the manufacturers to put those cells into a proprietary pack so they can sell more battery packs down the road.
The cells themselves are:
There are industrial considerations for packaging those larger cells in safer ways that result in “non-standard” enclosures, but they all contain fairly common standard components.
When you’re building an industrial or off-road vehicle, you need larger, more powerful batteries. It becomes important to protect those batteries from being damaged in their intended environment.
Making it easy to replace the individual cells in those heavy-duty uses actually makes it easier for the batteries to get damaged. This trade-off is usually a bad thing for e-bikes and power tools, so the result is a customized enclosure using standard rechargeable batteries.
Because the trick is to get you into their battery platform. Once you’ve invested in THEIR batteries, you’re more likely to buy their tools.
But government really should regulate this. Once we have standard battery packs, we can do fun things like stack them to make larger packs and run bigger tools… Instead of having to buy yet another larger battery platform…
You have a set of XXX tools with 10 batteries, now you need another tool but it is cheaper from XYZ brand. Well but you will also need a different battery and a charger and now it isn’t so cheap
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