Is the future of chainsaws battery powered?

[EchoRomeoCharlie]

Gasoline equipment needs air. I think it is 14 plus grams of air per gram of gasoline. Depends on how you look at power density. Probably battery power density would be better compared to explosives than a fuel that needs air or oxygen.

I'm not sure what you're trying to argue. Yes, fuel requires oxygen....oxygen is abundant in our atmosphere so it's a non-issue. We're talking about energy density. How much work can be done by a specific volume of energy storage medium.

I did call it 'power' density when I meant energy density.

Batteries don't even come remotely close to the density of gasoline right now. What electric motors have is incredible efficiency though and instant torque at low RPM. So they do have an advantage along with less noise and less emmissions (depending of course on how the electricity stored in the batteries was produced). So battery powered tools have a very obvious benefit over gas powered tools assuming we can get the same or close to the same amount of work done without massive weight or wait penalties.

 

[KiwiBro]

I'm invested in next generation 'batteries'. They blur the line between supercaps and batteries. Environmentally sound with zero nasties - if you ever manage to kill one, just chuck it in the compost as it's mainly just carbon anyway. Density is nowhere near gasoline. Well, not yet, or at least not yet publicly disclosed anyway. Targeting vehicle starting and solar storage first because these new options have 10000 cycles and go to 100% discharge with zero, and I mean zero, negative impacts or dendrite formation or the like, unlike existing alternatives. No lead, no pollution, no mining and the enviro impacts thereof, better density than lead acid, lower cost, no maintenance, way higher cycles, more useable energy, faster charging, no need for any battery management /cell balancing systems.

But, will it be ready for 0PE any time soon? Nope. Even if it does reach the holy grail of rivalling the energy density of gasoline, it's still a few years from lab to consumer products.

There are quite a few promising 'battery' options coming through the development phase now. The next few years are going to be very interesting.

 

[Franny K]

A lithium ion cell provides electricity generally managed between the voltages of 3.6 and 4.0. Doesn't a capacitor provide it's energy evenly from max voltage to zero voltage making using such electricity more problematic?

 

[KiwiBro]

These are not capacitors. They blur the line between the two. Often, especially recently with the advancement in super/ultracaps the latter have been used in tandem with regular batteries because in specific usages the two compliment each other extremely well. Specifically high current charge/discharge events that supercaps are perfect for and batteries are generally crap at, and then base load at lower currents but higher specific energy density that batteries are good at. So, with the two in tandem you get both power and energy density, up to the limits of the technology. But they have generally been used as two separate systems and merged. That's not needed with the newer tech that's finally starting to come out of labs and into beta testing. These are commonly just referred to as electrical energy storage devices, because they are part battery as we consider them and partly capacitors.

 

[Remle]

Personally, I think cordless saws kick a$$. I wouldn’t use one for a big job, but at the same time I doubt I will ever go looking for or be very interested in another gas saw under 50cc’s. For small jobs and light work, IMO a cordless saw is hands down superior.

 

[KiwiBro]

Personally, I think cordless saws kick a$$. I wouldn’t use one for a big job, but at the same time I doubt I will ever go looking for or be very interested in another gas saw under 50cc’s. For small jobs and light work, IMO a cordless saw is hands down superior.

Hanging in a tree and not having to start a saw, just pull the trigger = perfect.
I use my battery top handle around the sawmill docking boards etc. Love it. But it chews through batteries.

 

[frank_]

the future is definitely battery direct drive brushless
my ghetto grinders have the same power as the mains powered grinder in the pic, yet they draw only 200w compared to the 1200w mains one
no power sapping brushes or electromagnetic field coils, and no noisy bevel gears/reduction gearing
a lot of the cordless tools i work on have brushed motors inside, hence some of the negative feedback of battery vs gasoline

 

[champion221elite]

Lithium batteries and brushless motors have completely changed the game with RC vehicles. I have an 1/8th scale 4x4 buggy with brushless electronics. Its crazy fast and quiet. Same with my 29" catamaran RC boat. It runs well into the 60 mph range. The downside however is runtime. 5000 mah of batteries lasts 2.5 minutes in the boat. Also, there is the expense. Two 3s lipo batteries adds up to about $160. Let's not forget the charger cost. Electric powered items are quiet and don't pollute on site, but there is still pollution associated with their use. Somewhere in China there is a factory spewing out pollution from processing the batteries, motors and speed controllers. Also, somewhere near the user there is a base load power plant that is burning coal, natural gas or bio fuel to generate the power. Electric power is not zero emissions, it just moves the emissions somewhere else.

 

[frank_]

yes those motors ^ are $25 skateboard outrunners from china, and are powered from the blue panel and 2 x car batteries
the black panels feed the house
not really an option for woods sawing, but viable for backyard firewood cutting

 

[Marley5]

I bought my grandma and my young niece electric chainsaws for Christmas.....thought it made great stocking stuffers.

I like the smell of a real saw.

 

[chadihman]

Not in my hands