Is the future of chainsaws battery powered?

[Saegengott19]

Hey guys,

I’m student and currently writing my master thesis about the future development of chainsaws and trends in forestry.
And I need you as regular users of chainsaws to help me with it!
Since my personal knowledge about this topic is limited, I am conducting a survey to identify what’s important for you working with a chainsaw and how you see the future.
Of course the survey is anonymous.

Link to the survey: https://www.umfrageonline.com/s/f4abc53

I’m very happy about any participant! Thanks a lot for your help!

 

[Huskybill]

Sorry I’m late. But there’s more and more electric chain saws being offered lately. Maybe for home owners for little jobs. I purchased a Oregon electric chainsaw it wasn’t cheap a decade ago. They have advanced more since then. The electric cars have advanced and were seeing electric trucks developing. Electric powered chain saws can only get better.

 

[Ted Jenkins]

Husky has summed it up. Thanks

 

[buttercup]

Maybe for home owners for little jobs

That's bollocks mate, you tried one of the pro Husky or Stihl packages available?

Just like the cars, no one likes the new. Therefore human life is limited.

I don't like the new either, but thank God - I am time limited.

What would the world be if Paul Pot, Adolph Hitler, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping or Donald Tump were forever lasting?

A disaster for humanity.

 

[rogue60]

Reality check.
With the fires and still on going fires in Australia at this min when a fire is in your area or town do you know what the 1st thing that happens is?
They cut power! No phone signal no water pressure no nothing if it runs on power/batteres it's useless to you.
My town was lucky we only had power out for about 3days some towns have been without power for couple weeks.
Trees down everywhere across roads etc a real mess you can keep ya battery power crap I'll be packing gas powered saw's the rest of my life thanks.
Battery powered chainsaws are the future? not when SHTF! and reality sets in.
I agree with Huskybill on this one they might be good for homeowners in the city for odd jobs.

 

[woodbuckin]

I see two man problems with battery powered saws... a) battery capacity b) recharge times.

If you're doing occasional light work and only need something small an electric chainsaw might come in handy. I can't imagine how long it would take and how many battery swaps would be required to buck up a cord worth of logs with an electric saw.

 

[TnShooter]

I doesn’t look as if you been back here since you posted.
But I’ll give my opinion based on the little experience I have with them.
I’ve used the Oregon 40v saw.

I do believe they they have a place.
But not as a primary saw for felling, bucking, or large pruning.
They work well for small pruning jobs. Especially around commercial business and neighborhoods.
They are not loud and produce no emissions. And if used with a Biodegradable Bar Oil, they are very environmentally friendly. This is a great benefit to Medical Facilities, School’s, and any other place where noises are usually kept to a minimum.

However, I don’t see Electric replacing Gasoline saws anytime in the near future.

 

[buttercup]

However, I don’t see Electric replacing Gasoline saws anytime in the near future

I see it that way too, but how long ago would you say that about electric cars? Are they the future? I'm sorry to tell you but if you consider reality? yes.
Development last 50 years, internet, computers, smart phones, electric cars? You'd be pretty naive to think time is not going to wipe you out. And I'd say pretty soon, a few generations perhaps.

 

[TnShooter]

It is very likely electric could take first place.
Especially with the tightening of Emissions Standards and Policies world wide.
If feel change to electric will be motivated more by political mandates than battery performance.

I’d be willing to use an electric saw, if it can do the task I need it to, and I have a reliable source of electric power to charge the batteries. Unfortunately, for me. I don’t always have the time, enough batteries, or a saw that can do what a gasoline saw does now.

Sure, maybe one day. There will be a saw that can fulfill my needs. But I do not see one coming along for at least 20 years or longer. Battery capacity and power in a saw light enough to use for a long period of time will be the key to success.
At least in my opinion.

 

[woodbuckin]

Until they can figure out how to store more capacity using less weight and space, it will tough to use electric chainsaws for anything but light occasional work.

Looking at the electric cars, a tesla model3 weighs 4,000lbs if you get the upgraded battery so you can get a 300+ mile range on a charge. They need to get more fast charging stations built.

 

[buttercup]

0 emissions by 2050, what will that do to the airplane industry?
Nothing gains more advance in technology than war - it's because you have to - to survive.

And that is really what we are facing, so brace yourselves.

 

[rogue60]

O emissions for country's that have hard working tax paying sheep only is what it's really about making the rich richer we will be taxed for air in the not to far future it's all a con.
Meanwhile in India there rubbish pile is getting bigger but thats ok no money to be made there you can't tax and fee them for everything as most have no money lol

 

[buttercup]

So how you gonna solve it?

I'm out, good night.

 

[quantico]

Tnshooter.. battery saws are not near what you described.. the battery has a huge environmental impact.. heavy metals and chemicals... mining for those elements is not none by dwarfs .. huge diesel equipment and billions of gallons of water then energy for processing and and moving that stuff around... charging batteries comes from oil based energy.. and lots of natural gas.. and to make our society able to use all electric cars we need billions of dollars for making a huge grid.. recharging chainsaw batteries comes from a lot of other energy expended.. so the disney version of how clean and perfect battery stuff is .... is just not right.. i have seen articles about a suburban being far more energy efficient than a tesla..

Battery recycling is not at a good place yet... so landfills full of heavy metals are not going to be a bright good thing.

In an emergency gas and grid power will be lacking.. so hopefully you have tons of gasoline or gas and generator available..

For some environments where you have three or four battieries and can charge batery packs using homeowner power while you are working... its not a huge problem.. but you now need to factor in the cost of owning at least four batteries for each saw and leaf blower.. your not going to have a 6 hp battery saw to cut down trees that are very big.. dont see even a pro saw running a 28 inch bar..

 

[TnShooter]

You bring up a good point.
I can’t say I have given any extensive thought to the “environmental” aspect of batteries.
I find it likely there is far more environmental impact than most would believe. Myself included.
Until I’m thoughts convinced that a battery powered saw is better.
I have no plans to switch.


I will add, I do own a battery powered hedge trimmer.
I much prefer it to the corded or gas.
The corded is obvious, you have to drag a cord around.
As for the gas set. I’m constantly stopping between shrubs to do clean up.
I either have to let the trimmers run, or stop them and restart.
I don’t have to empty the fuel after use for long term storage.
I guess they are just more convenient ergonomic and user friendly.

I use them approximately 5-6 times a year. For about 70 Nandina shrubs.

FWIW, I also have no desire to own a battery powered string trimmer.
I have acres to mow with many fences and hill sides. Approximately 2-3 hours of trim work a week.
That’s run time. I can’t see a battery powered string trimmer keeping up.

Thanks for bring the environmental part of batteries to my attention.
I never thought of the whole proscenium in which it takes to make and dispose of them.
Maybe they aren’t what they are mad out be as far as environmentally friendly?

 

[Huskybill]

The biggest problem with a battery operated equipment is the life of the battery and the charging time. They need to develop a electric motor that can run and at the same time charge itself. The power that runs it and the power it can charge back needs to be a wash. We need to think out of the box looking for new technology.

 

[EchoRomeoCharlie]

The main issue they need to solve is power density.

If they can get batteries to be close to Gasoline in power density, then gasoline engines are a thing of the past except for very specific scenarios.

 

[EchoRomeoCharlie]

The biggest problem with a battery operated equipment is the life of the battery and the charging time. They need to develop a electric motor that can run and at the same time charge itself. The power that runs it and the power it can charge back needs to be a wash. We need to think out of the box looking for new technology.

Unless you have a way to solve the problem your theory has with physics, mainly the law of conservation of energy, then this will never happen.

You can't have a saw that both does work(running the chain) and puts the same amount of energy back into the battery. You can't even have a battery that with an electric motor charges itself with zero loss....friction is a real *****.


So your theory isn't 'thinking outside the box' it's 'thinking outside reality'.

 

[quantico]

My next door neighbor teaches physics.. he is a very smart man. He loves his plug in 100 dollar or less corded chainsaw. He uses is to cut up free scavenged wood for his fire pit. It also works for some yard waste. We live on a river and when water is high we pull in huge cuts of tree to cut up for the fire pit. However the reason is that its quiet and so much cheaper to be able to use the saw with no gas. Its very nice to gd able to use the saw 5 minutes then put it down. But in his case the wood comes to him and we are not far from a power outlet.. its a unique situation, and i thought plug in electric chainsaws were just dumb until i played a while. They are heavy and slow. It is a great way to teach teenagers how to operate a chainsaw safely as things happen a lot slower. Starting the saw becomes a non issue.. if you could get a battery saw that ran a long long time it would stil cost three times what a plug in saw costs, and that would only be for the first battery. Other than a homeowner doing very occasional cleanup.. you would need 3 or 4 batteries. That is if your customer gives you an outlet so you can charge while cutting. In the woods you would need a huge deep cycle battery and inverter on your truck.. more expense, more walking , more weight.. and more wait.

The best deal i can see for battery pro saws is dealing with lefty customers... they can have battery quiet saws for as much of their job as possible for a 15 percent upcharge.. they might go for that to be able to tell their friends and neighbors how environmental tender they are.. think about it.. it could be a profit deal

 

[Franny K]

The main issue they need to solve is power density.

If they can get batteries to be close to Gasoline in power density, then gasoline engines are a thing of the past except for very specific scenarios.

Gasoline equipment needs air. I think it is 14 plus grams of air per gram of gasoline. Depends on how you look at power density. Probably battery power density would be better compared to explosives than a fuel that needs air or oxygen.