DeWalt recently announced an expansion of its 40V Max battery-powered outdoor equipment with the new DeWalt 40V Max 6-Pack Charging Station at the 2016 GIE+EXPO.
The DeWalt 40V Max 6-Pack Charging Station (DCB116) charges up to six batteries for DeWalt’s outdoor power equipment. DeWalt claims the 7.5Ah battery charges in under an hour and the 6.0Ah battery in just 45 minutes. Once one battery is charged, the charger will automatically switch to the next battery, choosing the battery closest to full charge.
Each battery compartment includes indicators showing charging status: fully charged, charge in process, or waiting to be charged. The charging station is water resistant, includes a cover to protect the batteries, and is optimized for transport with carrying handles. It will retail for $399.
DeWalt outdoor power equipment comes standard with a commercial three-year limited warranty, one-year free service contract, and 90-day money-back satisfaction guarantee. The 40V Max 6Ah and 7.5Ah batteries come with an extended 2-year free service contract.
DeWalt 40V Max 6-Pack Charging Station Key Features
- Charger and carrying case for (6) 40V Max Lithium Ion batteries.
- Weather-resistant and durable for everyday, heavy-duty landscaper use.
- 10 Amp fast charger that sequentially charges all six batteries.
- Intelligence to automatically select to charge battery closest to full charge to maximize battery availability.
- LED charging indicators to communicate which batteries are charging, waiting to be charged, or fully charged.
DeWalt 40V Max 6-Pack Charging Station Specifications
- Model: DeWalt DCB116
- Power Source: 120V AC
- System: 40V Max
- Charging Ports: 6
- Charge Power: 10 amps
- Charge Cycling: Sequential, closest to full charge priority
- Charge Time: ~1 hour (7.5 amp hour battery)
- Price: $501.99
- Warranty: 3 years
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Our Take
Lithium-ion is desperately trying to take hold in the commercial landscaping sector, but is running into resistance on several levels. One is run time. You pretty much have two ways to add more run time to lithium-ion OPE: carry bigger batteries or carry more of them.
DeWalt finds a bit of a happy medium between the two with a 7.5 amp hour battery pack option and the ability to store and charge six at a time. Do the math on that and a crew has up to 45 amp hours on the charger plus whatever is on their tools. That’s solid.
The issue will be that the charger is sequential rather than giving all six a boost at once. Still, with 1-hour charging on a 7.5 amp hour pack, a two- or three-member crew should be able to stay up and running all day, particularly if you can keep juice running to the charger even while you’ve stopped to work. You’ll need to find a 120V AC outlet to make that happen.
