New range of Bosch Professional ProCORE18V batteries

Bosch Professional has taken compact, high-performance batteries to a new dimension with the launch of its latest ProCORE18V series.

It promises to make professionals more efficient, through greater power, lifetime and runtime, and offers 4.0, 8.0 and 12.0 Ah versions tailored to individual needs. Also introduced is the Bosch GAL 18 V-160 C Professional Charger – the fastest 18 Volt charging unit and the world’s first ever to use connectivity.

A new world

Thanks to innovations including new-generation cells and Bosch CoolPack 2.0 technology, it is now possible to achieve a more powerful performance from very small packages. The same advances increase energy efficiency and, by protecting against heat damage, extend the battery’s life.

Under the campaign theme ‘Bosch Professional. Laying the foundations for a new world of power, lifetime and runtime,’ Bosch is encouraging users to redefine their limits by moving up to ProCORE18V.

As additions to the Bosch Flexible Power System, the new batteries and charger will bring performance benefits to both existing and new equipment. Within the same voltage class, all Bosch Professional tools, chargers and batteries sold since 2008 are fully compatible.

Job-matched choices

All three of the Bosch Professional ProCORE 18 V batteries are compact, powerful and long-running, but which of those factors is most important to a user will vary between applications.

For repetitive tasks and overhead work, the ‘Compact’ ProCORE18V 4.0 Ah option minimises fatigue and improves comfort. Its single-layer cell arrangement allows significant savings in weight and volume compared to a standard two-layer battery, but with no reduction in power.

The ‘Performance’ ProCORE18V 8.0 Ah is ideal for a wide variety of jobs in which high power intensity is required. As powerful as a 1600 W corded tool, and with 87% more power than a standard 18 V battery, it has increased wood sawing and concrete drilling distances by 150% in tests. Amongst batteries with comparable runtime, it is the most compact in the market.

In highly intensive applications using large rotary hammers, angle grinders or circular saws, ‘Endurance’ ProCORE18V 12.0 Ah brings extremely high power (almost 2000 W) and the longest of runtimes. Although larger than the 4.0 and 8.0 Ah ProCORE18V batteries, it is still the most compact amongst competitors in its runtime class.

CoolPack 2.0

The key to extending runtime and lifetime is intelligent heat management and design, as developed for Bosch CoolPack 2.0. This provides ideal conditions for efficient battery performance and prevents damage from overheating. Compared to batteries without CoolPack, ProCORE18V packs last 135% longer.

High-density polyethylene (HDPE) and thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) materials have been specially chosen to maximise the effectiveness of battery cooling elements. Their structure, which encases each cell, is designed to increase surface area and thereby speed up heat dissipation. By avoiding gaps within the battery construction, internal storage of heat is avoided. The improved cell connectors used for CoolPack 2.0 also help, by lowering resistance and saving power.

A Single Cell Monitoring (SCM) system safely optimises power delivery from the cells, while battery status is clearly displayed by a new high-resolution indicator with five LEDs.

Fast and connected charging

Producing a maximum 16 A charging current, the Bosch GAL 18 V-160 C Professional Charger is now our fastest for 18 Volt batteries. It will, for instance, charge the ProCORE18V 12.0 Ah to 80% in about 35 minutes. It can be used for all Bosch 14.4 V as well as 18 V batteries.

Its unique connectivity function enables connection to the user’s smartphone via Bluetooth and the Bosch Toolbox app. As well as checking battery health and charge level, it can be used to select between four charging modes. These range from a very low impact option to a Power Boost mode which will rapidly charge batteries to 50% of their capacity when necessary.

The charger itself features an error indicator for temperature and battery failures, an accurate 5-LED charging status indicator and a manual button for switching between standard and Power Boost charging. Active Air Cooling, via two internal fans, optimises the temperature for faster charging and quickly cools down hot batteries, taken straight from a tool, so charging can begin sooner.