Am I missing something? Most Bosch tools for instance use their universal battery packs, they fit nearly all old tools and it's a pretty safe bet that they will fit all the new ones too. There's plenty of 3rd party replacements on the market, but there's almost zero chance that you won't be able to buy a replacement battery for your bosch leaf blower in few years.

That's their standardised battery pack - it fits dozens of different tools: https://www.bosch-do-it.com/gb/en/diy/tools/battery-pack-pba...

I have two Ryobi drills and they have what look like standardized swappable batteries, but they are different voltages (12V and 18V). The connectors are different shapes, fortunately.

> If you're lucky they still make the battery, but it costs as much a whole new tool.

Aren't most companies working on a standardized battery (at least within their brand) so you can swap batteries between your drill, blower, trimmer, etc? It would seem that if that's the case, changing battery form factors would be a real bad idea.

(within their brand)

That's the kicker. I have DeWalt, Makita, and Rigid brand electric tools. They all have different, incompatible (yet same voltage/amp) batteries and chargers, each costing as much as the tool. At least gas goes in any gas tool.

I'd rather they be regulations on the amount of pollution (both air and noise) allowed.

I'm fine with regulation as long as zero is the amount of CO2 pollution allowed. We need to be in crisis mode now.

Yep, they do. Within their own brand. Just means when they switch from 18V to 20V, and then to whatever the next big thing is, you have to switch all of your tools to the new standard.

Lithium-Ion batteries have a much longer lifetime than the old NiMH batteries, though. Haven't had much issues with electric power tools in the last couple of years.

And I'm not sure I agree with your assessment of the reliability of gas powered tools. Our lawn mower needed repairs frequently...

The dratted carburetor... next time mine clogs again, I’m jumping to an electric. They’re finally wide and powerful enough that they’re better than gas for actually mowing.

All the major tool companies use battery platforms that have been stable for much of the decade. I've used Dewalt 20v Max tools since 2011 and never broken one. Ego's yard tools were introduced in 2013, and the battery interface has not changed since. I have their mower, leaf blower, and two weed whackers, operating for over four years with zero problems. I haven't even had to replace any batteries.

Meanwhile, my neighbor's expensive new gas-powered mower has been in the shop twice in the past few years. When it does work it's loud and smells like shit.

Many rechargeable battery packs are just assemblies of 18650 or similar cylindrical cells — if they just made the packs openable then it would be easy to replace and recycle the cells.

If only an "18650" was always the same! Despite the name, they're never exactly 18.0mm diameter by 65mm long. Some have protection circuits built in, some don't. Some have solder tabs, some have wired connections (2-pin or 3) and some fit into holders the way your garden variety AA battery does. Then there are a variety of capacities and charge curves. 18650 Li-Ion is not a standard the way that a AA alkaline is. The core can may be "standard" but by the time that gets packaged into a cell in a product, there are an infinite variety of options.

The cells are welded together with contact strips, you need a spot welder to rebuild a pack. Making cells removable isn’t economic, because vibration resistant electrical connections are not cheap.

> Making cells removable isn’t economic

I disagree. Until relatively recently all battery powered devices had removable batteries, which is why we have standard battery sizes in the first place. Welded and sealed proprietary battery packs are a backward step.

The keyword here is "cell", not pack. I have never seen individual cells being removable. Imagine the increased complexity/cost and decreased reliability if each of the 6 cells in a standard car batter was individually replaceable.

> I have never seen individual cells being removable

Sure you have. Any device with removable single-cell 'batteries' has removable cells.

> Imagine the increased complexity/cost and decreased reliability if each of the 6 cells in a standard car batter was individually replaceable.

Car batteries are already removable and replaceable, and come in standard sizes, which is precisely the point.

While I agree that it's reasonable to make 18650 based packs not officially user serviceable (because of the spot welding thing and because that would open up liability to repairs gone wrong), at least they should be made so the cells can be replaced by someone who has a spotwelder and some electrical knowledge. Basically give the pack housing a nondestructive way to be opened and resealed.

That way even if the manufacturer decides to switch battery pack standards in a few years, someone with the necessary knowledge can still get some 18650 cells and be fine.

As the years have worn on its gotten better. Still not great yet, and interoperability would be even better... but I have standardized on the 20V line from De Walt and have a number of hand, larger power, and yard tools that all use the same batteries. I buy a new battery or two every year and cycle out the oldest one (sell at steep discount on CL). Been doing that for 6 years now, and I don’t see them discontinuing the 20V line for years.

I'm on my third generation DeWalt, but I also switched over to the 20V Max line a few years back when my second-to-last 18V battery croaked and the replacement was $100. Was more economical to ditch the old drill.

I don't think this is true at all. A visit to Home Depot reveals a huge selection of battery powered tools, most of which are powered by one of four standard battery types, all of which have existed for quite a while. I have a whole bunch of Ryobi tools - and batteries from literally a decade ago, while an older chemistry (nicad instead of li-ion) are still compatible - and the reverse is also true.

I'm on my third generation of DeWalt drill. Not because the old ones don't work (in fact, the second generation is rather preferable to the third generation of the same model), but because the batteries are $100+ each now.