The Hidden Cost of Expensive Batteries
▼ Summary
– Planned obsolescence in electronics and software is amplified by companies locking down their products to drive consumerism cycles.
– Milwaukee power tool batteries were found to lack cell balancing, as testing showed imbalances persisted despite various charge and discharge cycles.
– The absence of balancing may be due to cost-cutting, as most batteries might function adequately for years without this feature.
– An alternative explanation is that Milwaukee intentionally omits balancing to increase battery replacement sales, aligning with their history of limiting user serviceability.
– It is possible that Milwaukee has improved their battery design since the testing was conducted nearly a year ago.
Modern electronics often come with a hidden price tag that extends far beyond the initial purchase. Power tool manufacturers like Milwaukee are under scrutiny for producing battery packs that may lack essential features such as cell balancing, a critical process for maintaining battery health and longevity. While companies in various sectors, from automotive to smartphones, are known for designing products with limited lifespans, this investigation reveals how certain power tool brands might be following a similar playbook.
Identifying whether a battery pack performs cell balancing isn’t as simple as checking for extra wires. Even though these packs include microcontrollers, their primary role appears to be relaying status updates rather than actively managing cell voltage. One researcher put this to the test by intentionally creating an imbalance within a Milwaukee battery and then conducting a series of evaluations. These included monitoring communication signals, checking for voltage changes across specific components, leaving the battery on a charger for weeks, and running it through repeated charge and discharge cycles. Despite these efforts, the voltage imbalance remained unchanged, suggesting the batteries do not balance their cells internally.
It’s possible to assume that most battery packs will function adequately for years without active balancing, making the additional engineering expense unnecessary. Since this analysis was conducted almost a year ago, Milwaukee may have since updated its designs. However, given the prevalence of subscription models and planned obsolescence in today’s market, a more plausible explanation is that the company benefits when customers replace batteries more frequently. This approach aligns with other design choices that complicate user repairs, reinforcing a cycle of repeated purchases. Alternatively, the omission could stem from oversight or cost-cutting, much like early Nissan Leaf models that skipped active thermal management in their battery systems.
(Source: Hack A Day)
