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Action like that would freeze innovation at a time when we want to keep pushing the boundaries of what is possible. All three of those systems use different vol
by aardvarkr 5y ago
Action like that would freeze innovation at a time when we want to keep pushing the boundaries of what is possible. All three of those systems use different voltages or designs that change power output and weight distribution. On top of that, each brand is incentivized to keep experimenting to improve the battery design for their specific use cases. Dewalt, for example, is making lawn mowers that use two of their 20v batteries in parallel so you can use the same batteries in your mower as you do in your drill. The Ryobi batteries haven't changed since they were first introduced so the old drill that you bought in 2014 is still usable with today's batteries.
- barbazoo 5y agoIs there an example where regulation like this actually did stifle innovation?
- notjulianjaynes 5y ago18v and 20v"max" tool batteries are two names for the same thing: a 5 series configuration of li-on cells rated for 3.7v nominal/4.2v max charge. To my knowledge none of these companies are manufacturing cells directly, and the only thing that is different between them is the shape of the connector, and the design/firmware of the battery management system. And the connectors are mostly not all that different, just variations on a theme designed to explicitly prevent cross compatibility. I don't see a compelling reason these couldn't be standardized, nor why this wouldn't lead to more innovation as manufacturers will have to compete on merit, rather than vendor lock in. Batteries are getting so good nowadays. Imagine if instead of everything needing its own special battery you just had a few quality packs that were interoperable with all your tools/devices/ebike/etc. *Edit: grammar