I am interested in your products, but want to know how long the batteries will be available for your products. For example, if I were purchase a mower, would it be possible to purchase a replacement batter in 10 years? what if this company doesn't exist then?
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90 Points
Posted 3 years ago
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14,544 Points
Blue Angel, Champion
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180,008 Points
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2,802 Points
Derek,
If you can predict the future 10 years down the road, let me know what stocks you are buying. I look at Ego as a start up company with a good product. Hopefully they are profitable. At the prices they are charging, they had better be. I expect that they'll be acquired by one of the big boys in a few years. This will increase their prospects of 10 years survival.
My desired timeline is more like 5 years with the mower I purchased and I hope that the initial battery makes it that far. If the battery doesn't make 5 years and if there is no cost effective way to replace or refurbish it, then I'm out of Ego. If Ego is successful, I'd expect them to establish a method to refurbish the batteries in the future. At least that is my hope. Right now, the cost of a replacement battery is excessive IMO and I doubt that I'd shell out that kind of $$ for a replacement. That cost needs to come down for Ego to be long term viable.
But right now they cannot even get a high lift blade which is being sold in Europe, into the USA supply chain.
Just my 2cents worth.
Harry
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14,352 Points
If I see any indication of the battery dying, I would ask for a replacement before the 3 years is up.
David HD, Champion
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35,094 Points
Derek, I can not speak for everyone on this forum, nor do I have the ability to "predict" the future. That said; I invested in EGO for many reasons, but here are my top reasons:
Like most people, I took a "leap of faith" in buying EGO. But when I saw that Honda Europe invested in EGO technology and "re-branded" under their famous RED color, I feel as if Honda have done their due diligence, before putting their name and reputation behind this technology.
A quote from Honda Europe announcement back in January 2016:
"Manufactured by Chervon, Honda’s new cordless handheld leaf blower and lawn trimmer have been subject to further enhancements by Honda engineers, adapting technologies to ensure compliance with European regulation. The range will be branded in the familiar Honda red, common to all of Honda’s handheld Lawn & Garden products."
Link to Honda Europe website:
http://hondanews.eu/eu/en/cars/media/pressreleases/70735/honda-to-introduce-first-products-in-new-co...
Now, this does not guarantees that EGO will last forever, but nothing lasts forever. At least for now, I have been extremely HAPPY with my tools and they definitely serve their purposes well. I am not a "professional" lawn care person - just a normal guy who cares about proper maintenance of my lawn, and having the tools to the job well. Good luck with your final decision ... :-)
- Power of Gas Without the Fume, or at least close to it
- Warranty on Battery (3 Years) and Power Tools (5 Years)
- Convenience of Immediate Startup without the hassle
- Ease of Maintenance vs. gas power equipment
Like most people, I took a "leap of faith" in buying EGO. But when I saw that Honda Europe invested in EGO technology and "re-branded" under their famous RED color, I feel as if Honda have done their due diligence, before putting their name and reputation behind this technology.
A quote from Honda Europe announcement back in January 2016:
"Manufactured by Chervon, Honda’s new cordless handheld leaf blower and lawn trimmer have been subject to further enhancements by Honda engineers, adapting technologies to ensure compliance with European regulation. The range will be branded in the familiar Honda red, common to all of Honda’s handheld Lawn & Garden products."
Link to Honda Europe website:
http://hondanews.eu/eu/en/cars/media/pressreleases/70735/honda-to-introduce-first-products-in-new-co...
Now, this does not guarantees that EGO will last forever, but nothing lasts forever. At least for now, I have been extremely HAPPY with my tools and they definitely serve their purposes well. I am not a "professional" lawn care person - just a normal guy who cares about proper maintenance of my lawn, and having the tools to the job well. Good luck with your final decision ... :-)
(Edited)
Blue Angel, Champion
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180,008 Points
Very true... that Honda has partnered with Ego is a huge vote of confidence. Honda's battery tools are pretty much just rebranded Ego tools.
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21,758 Points
Good point, OP! Gasoline will be around a long time, so your concern re: battery availability is a valid one. trouble is, no one knows the future of Ego's battery production or future cost. already, the 7.5 ah battery is VERY expensive.
Blue Angel, Champion
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180,008 Points
The way things are going, we'll all be driving electric cars in 20 years and Ego will be selling 75Ah batteries for half the price of today's 7.5 :-)
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21,758 Points
can u imagine the long lines to "refuel" electric cars if we "all" drive electric vehicles?? NOT PRACTICAL. Until they come up with a viable alternative to slowly recharging batteries, electric vehicles can't totally replace gasoline powered ones.
szwoopp, Champion
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106,378 Points
Used to need your computer plugged in to get data.
Cellular (not sure if thats the right word in this case) energy transmission will be here before we know it.
Cellular (not sure if thats the right word in this case) energy transmission will be here before we know it.
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2,676 Points
wireless charging isn't an answer so much as just keeping the selfish people from hogging charging spots when they don't need them. (petrol powered cars or fully fueled electrics) People charge their cars at home every night and dont need to always be plugged in at their destination.
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21,758 Points
when u are driving out of town, your HOME has nothing to do with the logistics of charging millions of vehicles along their destination (given the scenario that Blue Angel alludes to re: "we all will be driving electric cars in 20 years").
(Edited)
Blue Angel, Champion
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180,008 Points
Long range travel and daily driving are usually two different things.
For daily travel, most people could get by with the energy supplied from a standard 120V plug and over night charging in their garage. 1500W x 12 hours = 18kWh, more than enough for many people's daily driving needs (in warmer climates, anyway, not so much Canada in January).
For roadside charging on longer trips, that's where high power DC fast charging stations will come into play. Tesla's Superchargers are leading the way right now, and Porsche is planning an even higher voltage 800V system that promises to charge even faster. Once charging times come down to about 10 min for 200 miles of driving range the impracticality of roadside fast charging will be pretty much a non-issue.
We have a way to go yet, but at the rate we're making progress I think it'll come faster than many think. :-)
For daily travel, most people could get by with the energy supplied from a standard 120V plug and over night charging in their garage. 1500W x 12 hours = 18kWh, more than enough for many people's daily driving needs (in warmer climates, anyway, not so much Canada in January).
For roadside charging on longer trips, that's where high power DC fast charging stations will come into play. Tesla's Superchargers are leading the way right now, and Porsche is planning an even higher voltage 800V system that promises to charge even faster. Once charging times come down to about 10 min for 200 miles of driving range the impracticality of roadside fast charging will be pretty much a non-issue.
We have a way to go yet, but at the rate we're making progress I think it'll come faster than many think. :-)
David HD, Champion
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35,094 Points
You could be "totally correct" Blue about charging times coming down, while "energy density" going up. Below is an article this year about a potential breakthrough in new rechargeable battery technology for handheld devices, electric cars and stationary energy storage. This came from one of the "inventors" of the current Lithium Ion batteries - interesting reading, but we have to wait and see what will become of this.
Lithium-Ion Battery Inventor Introduces New Technology for Fast-Charging, Noncombustible Batteries.
https://news.utexas.edu/2017/02/28/goodenough-introduces-new-battery-technology
Lithium-Ion Battery Inventor Introduces New Technology for Fast-Charging, Noncombustible Batteries.
https://news.utexas.edu/2017/02/28/goodenough-introduces-new-battery-technology
(Edited)
Blue Angel, Champion
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180,008 Points
To be completely honest, I don't get too excited about all of these emerging battery technologies. There are SO many companies with promising looking developments, but the reality is that most, if not all of them, will never make it to mass production. Demonstrating a working lab experiment is a far cry from supplying batteries en-masse.
Don't get me wrong, these projects do show great potential, but after so many years of getting excited about these new technologies and hearing nothing of them a few years later you start to get less and less enthused.
Hopefully one of these does result in the breakthrough leaps in battery technology we hope for, but until then it seems more realistic to believe in the steady progress we see, year after year, of just refining our current technologies. That alone is resulting in about a 7%/year improvement in specific capacity, which is nothing to sneeze at! :-)
Don't get me wrong, these projects do show great potential, but after so many years of getting excited about these new technologies and hearing nothing of them a few years later you start to get less and less enthused.
Hopefully one of these does result in the breakthrough leaps in battery technology we hope for, but until then it seems more realistic to believe in the steady progress we see, year after year, of just refining our current technologies. That alone is resulting in about a 7%/year improvement in specific capacity, which is nothing to sneeze at! :-)
Blue Angel, Champion
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180,008 Points
This picture kinda sums it up:
David HD, Champion
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35,094 Points
I agree - which is why I said "we will have to wait and see what will become of this." One day, we will have access to "unlimited power" with "little" charge time. How awesome would that be ....
Blue Angel, Champion
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180,008 Points
Even at today's rate of progress, things will be very interesting in 10 years time! :-)
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13,128 Points
Such as a little thing that I've been working on that would allow an individual a very strong and endless supply of free energy without having any effect whatsoever on the environment. Put a mini generator like this in an EGO power pack and you would have endless run time. No recharging, no refueling.
(Edited)
Blue Angel, Champion
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180,008 Points
You'll have to change your name to Tesla. ;-)
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2,676 Points
18650 cells will be around for a long time. They are in so many applications. These batteries will be rebuild-able for years to come.
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21,716 Points
"years" is not very definitive. and crystal balls aren't necessarily accurate.
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2,676 Points
18650 is as widespread as a AA or C primary cell battery the form factor will exist for years.
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21,716 Points
How in the heck do you know that? A newer, better tech may come along in the not-too-distant future to replace current batteries altogether. I don't share you opinion that YOU know the future. I learned many many years ago,"never assume".
Ken, Champion
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73,580 Points
You don't need to be psychic to know that one of the most common battery cells on the market over the past several years is used in so many devices that it will need to be manufactured for a long time in order to supply replacements for legacy devices, ranging from flashlights to lawn mowers.
The "tech" will surely improve, as it is already with higher and higher storage capacities, but the form factor will still be made. Just as I can still get replacement batteries for a Black & Decker drill I bought years ago.
The "tech" will surely improve, as it is already with higher and higher storage capacities, but the form factor will still be made. Just as I can still get replacement batteries for a Black & Decker drill I bought years ago.
Blue Angel, Champion
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180,008 Points
High drain 18650 cells, the ones suitable for power tool use, are up to 3000 mAh now. I don't see why that won't be improved upon moving forward. Incorporating those cells into Ego's current batteries would give us 3 Ah, 6 Ah and 9 Ah sizes.
Currently they use 2500 mAh cells for the 2.5 Ah, 5 Ah and 7.5 Ah batteries.
For high drain devices the new 20700 cell format is desirable since both capacity and power delivery improve with cell size, and cost per mAh goes down. Since these are still 3.6V LiIon cells they can be used interchangeably with 18650 cells in both tools and chargers, only their larger physical size needs to be accounted for. Since Ego has wisely left their battery compartments open for future expansion, this shouldn't be an issue.
Even if Ego was to start using the larger format cells their battery packs could still be compatible with today's tools.
Currently they use 2500 mAh cells for the 2.5 Ah, 5 Ah and 7.5 Ah batteries.
For high drain devices the new 20700 cell format is desirable since both capacity and power delivery improve with cell size, and cost per mAh goes down. Since these are still 3.6V LiIon cells they can be used interchangeably with 18650 cells in both tools and chargers, only their larger physical size needs to be accounted for. Since Ego has wisely left their battery compartments open for future expansion, this shouldn't be an issue.
Even if Ego was to start using the larger format cells their battery packs could still be compatible with today's tools.
szwoopp, Champion
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106,132 Points
thanks for the plain english explanation - much appreciated
Blue Angel, Champion
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180,008 Points
As Mom would say, "We aim to please!" :-)
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2,676 Points
Dave, the 18650 form factory is an internationally agreed upon standard. IF you'd like to research it further look up the IEC 61960-3.
https://global.ihs.com/doc_detail.cfm?document_name=IEC%2061960-3&item_s_key=00701938&item_k...
https://global.ihs.com/doc_detail.cfm?document_name=IEC%2061960-3&item_s_key=00701938&item_k...
(Edited)
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21,716 Points
Thanks for the link. I know there are standards, but standards change and what looks like a long-term bet today, won't necessarily be an available/preferable standard in the not-so-distant future.
Blue Angel, Champion
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180,008 Points
The only thing that is constant is change... and there's not much we can do about it. :-)
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242 Points
This reply was created from a merged topic originally titled Battery evolution/obsolescence... AKA will my batteries last for years to come?.
So while I really like the power and many other aspects of the modern L-ion batteries, one thing that has continually ticked me off is the manufacturers constant increasing in size or evolution of their batteries. I experienced this with my entire set of 10 cordless power tools... I cannot get new batteries for them anymore. Takes away that possibility of having tools that last for generations like my grandfathers did. Now, I'm not has upset about them making them better or stronger, bit I am concerned with them no longer making the batteries for my tools, 3-5 years from now. Then I'll have a bunch of yard tools that I can't get batteries for. This is not a problem with gas powered tools. Plus if I have to buy 2-3 new batteries every say 5 years... That's $300-600 every 5 years, depending on which batteries you need. That's way more than it costs me to upkeep my gas mower... Unless you have information otherwise. Bottom line, I WANT to buy these for their inconvenience, but I'm worried about the pains I'll experience down the road with regard to batteries and the fact that this is a brand new company.... I.e. Will this product even be on the market 3-5 years from now... Who knows. I know Black and Decker will be... I know Lowes house brand Kobalt will be... I know Craftsmen will be...
So while I really like the power and many other aspects of the modern L-ion batteries, one thing that has continually ticked me off is the manufacturers constant increasing in size or evolution of their batteries. I experienced this with my entire set of 10 cordless power tools... I cannot get new batteries for them anymore. Takes away that possibility of having tools that last for generations like my grandfathers did. Now, I'm not has upset about them making them better or stronger, bit I am concerned with them no longer making the batteries for my tools, 3-5 years from now. Then I'll have a bunch of yard tools that I can't get batteries for. This is not a problem with gas powered tools. Plus if I have to buy 2-3 new batteries every say 5 years... That's $300-600 every 5 years, depending on which batteries you need. That's way more than it costs me to upkeep my gas mower... Unless you have information otherwise. Bottom line, I WANT to buy these for their inconvenience, but I'm worried about the pains I'll experience down the road with regard to batteries and the fact that this is a brand new company.... I.e. Will this product even be on the market 3-5 years from now... Who knows. I know Black and Decker will be... I know Lowes house brand Kobalt will be... I know Craftsmen will be...
Ken, Champion
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71,330 Points
I think there's a reason that every time Ego has introduced a more powerful battery they have kept the same form factor. Ego has designed its tools with forward thinking.
When I bought my lawn mower the 4.0 Ah battery was Ego's biggest. But the mower and batteries were designed in such a way that the later 5.0 and 7.5 Ah batteries fit in it just fine.
Ego seems committed to backwards compatibility.
The parent company, Chervon, isn't a brand new company. They've been around a long time, making tools for other brands, including Craftsman. They also own Skil and Skilsaw, among others.
When I bought my lawn mower the 4.0 Ah battery was Ego's biggest. But the mower and batteries were designed in such a way that the later 5.0 and 7.5 Ah batteries fit in it just fine.
Ego seems committed to backwards compatibility.
The parent company, Chervon, isn't a brand new company. They've been around a long time, making tools for other brands, including Craftsman. They also own Skil and Skilsaw, among others.
(Edited)
Blue Angel, Champion
Sid Parish
Jacob
(a)Typical Engineer