Designed with stacked pouch battery cells instead of cylindrical cells, DeWalt PowerStack 20V Max batteries make some huge changes. DeWalt claims PowerStack batteries and technology provide more power with less weight and size. They give the case in point with their debut model, the DeWalt DCBP034 PowerStack 1.7Ah battery.
This might be the biggest announcement made since DeWalt Tool Connect came online.
DeWalt PowerStack Technology Overview
The big deal behind DeWalt PowerStack batteries is the use of stacked lithium-ion polymer pouches instead of cylindrical cells. While current 20V Max batteries use either 18650 or 21700 cells, PowerStack uses a literal “stack” of 5 lithium-polymer pouches.
When using stacking technology, you gain the advantages of less internal resistance, longer life, and better utilization of internal space.
That means you can make the packs smaller with the same amount of power output. This high energy density, of course, also lets you choose to occupy the same space while providing even more power. Because you have the potential for greater energy density and more life cycles, stacked cell batteries offer a lot of hard-to-ignore advantages.
Bold Claims
According to DeWalt, their 1.7AhDCBP034 Powerstack battery provides 50% more power than their 2.0Ah DCB203 in a 25% more compact housing. DeWalt also claims 2X the charge cycles compared to the 18650 cell-based DCB203 compact 20V Max battery.
More power, more compact, and more charge cycles? You can bet we’ll see a lot more stacked cell batteries in the near future.
DeWalt PowerStack DCBP034 vs DCB203 Compact Battery Specs
When comparing the 20V MaxDeWalt PowerStack DCB034 vs the DCB203 Compact battery we want to look at weight, size, and capacity. Here’s what we know:
| DCBP034 | DCB203 | |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity (Ah) | 1.7 Ah | 2.0 Ah |
| Capacity (Wh) | 30.6 Wh | 36 Wh |
| Length | 4.1 in. | 4.625 in. |
| Width | 2.5 in. | 2.95 in. |
| Height | 1.7 in. | 1.875 in |
| Weight | 0.7 lbs. | 0.8 lbs. |
| Charge Cycles (estimated) | 1000 | 500 |
| Price | TBD | $99 |
The first thing we noted was the apparently lower Ah and Wh rating of the pack. What has us perplexed is how a 1.7Ah pack is “50% more powerful” than a 2.0Ah pack. We’ll have to learn more about how these numbers translate into real-world results after we get our hands on some of these new DeWalt PowerStack batteries.
Size Does Matter
The real big deal—aside from energy output—has to be the size. These new packs offer a lot more power density, which means you get more power in less space. The specs above form some of the total picture. Perhaps these photos can help show the key difference in both length and width:
Final Thoughts
DeWalt couched their comments to specs when talking about power, citing “not in application” when talking about power. We really look forward to understanding how stacked polymer “pouch” style batteries fare in real-world testing.
Traditionally, pouch cell batteries tend to swell with gas during charge and discharge cycles (with as much as a 10% increase in volume). Whether these packs don’t swell or whether the DeWalt PowerStack battery packs simply accommodate the expansion and contraction remains to be seen.
The increased number of charge cycles really impresses us. That can’t be overstated as it means your packs last longer—and that translates into real savings.
Get more information from the DeWalt website.
