It was back in 2010 that wireless charging (inductive charging) wasย first demonstrated to us at a closed-door Bosch press event. It was all very hush-hush, but you could tell there was excitement in a new product that promised a whole new way at looking at keeping your tools at the readyโparticularly with respect to tradesmen who work out of their trucks and vans throughout the day. Unlike many productย prototypes, which often fall by the wayside while waiting to be deployed to a constantly changing market, this one finally made it. Rebranded as theย Bosch Power Ready Wireless Charging System, the Bosch inductive charging systemย shows promise.
It was the first of its kind to hit the consumer residential or commercial construction market. This impressive innovation is what won it a 2014 Pro Tool Innovation Award.
What is Wireless Charging (Inductive Charging)?
Inductive charging (or โwireless chargingโ) transfers energy from a power source to a battery via the use of an electromagnetic field.ย These batteries are the power receptacles that can either be separated from or integrated into a tool or electronic device. Chargers in inductive systems use a coil, whichย creates an AC (alternating current) electromagnetic field. A โreceivingโย induction coil in a battery, tool, or electronics device then converts that electromagnetic field back into an electrical current, charging the battery. Because these two induction coils are in close proximity, they form a type of electrical transformer.
Inductive charging is becoming wildly popular for several reasons. One, it functions through protective โbarriersโ, meaning that your devices have fewer points of entry for water, dirt, or other debris.ย Durability is also improved as you remove the need to constantly attach and detach batteries and battery packs. Finally, the medical community is ecstatic about inductive charging as it provides a means of recharging implanted devices without having to remove them from the body. Inductive charging is, by any definition, the future of how devices will receive energy.
The Boschย Power Ready Wireless Charging System
What we like about Boschโs Power Ready Wireless Charging System is that it standardizes the way their drill/driver tools can be recharged in a way that provides flexibility,ย safety, and consistency for the user. Itโs flexible because the Boschย WC18F charging frame canย be used as a benchtop base station to recharge any tool equipped with a Power Ready Wireless Charging battery packโat least any tool that can stand vertically on its battery pack (thatย covers mostย drills/drivers, and LED lights for starters).
You can also use the optional mobile holster to dock any of Boschโs current drills or impact driversย safely while they recharge. This is perfect for mobile tradesmen who are out and about in work vans or trucks. If the place you store your tool also recharges it, then youโll never lack for a full batteryโand with Lithium-ion you donโt have to worry about the dreaded memory effect.
Components inย the Bosch Power Ready Wireless Charging System
- WCBAT612ย SlimPack 18V 2.0 Ah Battery
Like traditional 2.0 Ah battery packs, this battery has a 3-LED charge-level indicator and usesย Bosch CoolPack technologyย forย heat dissipation. - WCBAT620 18V 4.0 Ah Battery
- WC18C Wireless Charger
This system will charge the WCBAT612 2.0 Ah battery pack to 80% in approximately 30 minutes and 100% in 50 minutes. A 5-LEDย charge status indicator lights up for easyย identification of charge status. - WC18F frame
This plastic accessory mounts the WC18C wireless charger to workbenches, shelves, side walls or other work surfaces, serving as a flexible and secure holder for the battery. You can also support a tool and batteryย when placed or mounted onย a horizontal surface. - WC18H Mobile Holster
Functioning as a complete charging and storage system, the WC18H can be mounted to any shelf or side wall for quick and convenient tool charging and storage. With it you neverย need toย remove the battery from the tool, and it can be mountedย vertically or horizontally on a workbench or in a truck or van. Three custom inserts are included to secure Bosch Compact Tough and Brute-Tough Drills, Drivers,ย and Impact Drivers,ย and batteries to the charger.
Charging and Docking
Since the Bosch Wireless Charging battery packs are independent and removableโtheyโre not permanently affixed to their toolsโthereโs not much difference in how you think about the charging process. You just donโt have to remove the Boschย WCBAT612 Wireless Charging battery from the tool. Bosch claims the WC18C Wireless Charger will charge the 2.0Ah WCBAT612 battery to 80%ย full in 30 minutes and 100% in just 50 minutes. In my tests, I got a full recharge of a depletedย battery in just under 47ย minutesโI love when a companyย exceeds expectations!ย The wireless chargerย itself features a 5-bar LED charge status indicator that gives you a much better sense of the battery capacity than the on-battery 3-LED indicator.
Using Tools with the Bosch Power Ready Wireless Charging System
The beautiful thing about using the Bosch Power Ready system with Boschโs existing power tools is that you donโt have any sort of learning curve. The WCBAT612ย 2.0 Ah Wireless slim pack is a tad thicker than the standard 2.0 Ah slim packโnearly the size of a 4.0 Ah battery pack. It delivered a ridiculous amount of run-time, allowing me to drive hundreds of self-tapping screws to secure siding, trim, and roofing on a steel building we were constructing in Central Florida.
We were able to run the Bosch IDH182 Socket-Ready Impact Driver hard, drivingย screws through theย thick sheetย metal and into the steel structure beneath. It was quite a job, and the fact that theย WCBAT612 was a tad thicker didnโt seem to register as I used the impactย driver.ย The IDH182 felt well-balanced with this battery, and the weight wasnโt noticeably different than when using the standard BAT612 or BAT620. Overall, the convenience was an added โplusโ and there arenโt a lot of negatives to report. Using other Bosch EC brushless motor tools with this system should yield results that are just as predictable and reliable.
Conclusion
Itโs all but certain the worldย is moving towards this sort of technologyโbut, for the power tool industry, Bosch is most definitely leading the way. Whether other tool manufacturers will follow suitย in the near futureย is uncertain, but the idea of inductive charging is something that makes a lot of sense. Bosch has certainly developed something with a lot of potential, and it will be great to see how the service industries, in particular, use this to ensure their tool batteries are constantly charged and ready to use for every call.
