The cordless power tool revolution has always been a battery story. Every leap in drill torque, saw runtime, and tool compactness traces back to improvements in lithium-ion cell technology. In 2026, we’re witnessing the biggest battery technology shift since power tools moved from NiCd to lithium-ion over a decade ago. Here’s a deep dive into the battery innovations reshaping the industry -- and why your next battery pack will be fundamentally different from the one in your charger right now.
The Problem with Current Battery Cells
Today’s power tool batteries use cylindrical lithium-ion cells -- typically 18650 or 21700 format -- arranged in series and parallel configurations. These cells have a fundamental design limitation: each cell contains tiny metal tabs that connect the electrode layers to the external terminals. These tabs create resistance, generate heat during high-current discharge, and limit how quickly energy can flow out of the cell. When you pull the trigger on a high-torque impact wrench, those internal tabs become the bottleneck between available energy and delivered power.
This is why a 5.0Ah battery pack that lasts for hours during light drilling can feel anemic when driving 6-inch lag bolts continuously -- the cells simply can’t discharge fast enough without overheating. Battery management systems protect cells by throttling power when temperatures spike, which is why you’ve probably noticed your tools slow down during extended heavy use on hot days.
The physics behind this limitation is worth understanding. In a standard cylindrical cell, the current path from the electrode wound inside the cell to the external terminal runs through a thin metal strip -- the tab -- typically 5-10mm wide. All the energy moving through the cell must pass through this narrow connection. At low discharge rates (light drilling, low-speed driving), the tab is adequate. At high discharge rates (impact driving, circular saw cuts through thick lumber), the tab becomes a resistor. Resistance converts electrical energy to heat rather than delivering it to the motor. Heat builds up, the battery management system detects it, and the system throttles output to protect the cells. The result: the tool bogs when you need it most.
Tabless Cell Technology: The Game Changer
The solution that every major tool manufacturer is now adopting -- in different forms and under different brand names -- is tabless cell technology. Instead of connecting electrode layers through small metal tabs at the top and bottom of each cell, tabless designs use the entire electrode foil as the current collector. Think of it like upgrading from a two-lane road to a sixteen-lane highway: the same amount of energy can flow, but the pathway is dramatically wider.
Tesla popularized this approach in their 4680 battery cells for electric vehicles, but power tool manufacturers have adapted the concept for smaller cylindrical cells optimized for the burst-discharge patterns that tools demand. The results are significant: tabless cells can deliver up to 40% more sustained power, generate 50% less internal heat, and last through significantly more charge cycles before degradation.
The engineering mechanics of tabless cells are elegant. By eliminating the discrete tab connection and instead welding the entire electrode edge to the current collector, the effective contact area increases by 5-10 times. This reduces internal resistance proportionally. Lower resistance means less energy wasted as heat, faster energy delivery to the motor under load, and cooler operating temperatures throughout the discharge cycle. The thermal benefits are compounding: cooler cells stay in a more efficient operating range longer, which means the battery management system throttles less frequently, which means the tool maintains peak performance deeper into the charge cycle.
How Each Brand Is Implementing It
Milwaukee FORGE: Milwaukee was first to market with their FORGE battery line in late 2024, and they’ve been the most transparent about the technology. FORGE packs use custom tabless cells developed in partnership with a major cell manufacturer. Milwaukee claims 40% more power and 50% longer cycle life compared to their standard REDLITHIUM HIGH OUTPUT packs. The FORGE cells also feature an improved electrolyte formula that performs better in cold weather -- a real advantage for contractors working through winter months.
DEWALT POWERSTACK: DEWALT’s POWERSTACK batteries use pouch cells rather than cylindrical ones, stacking flat lithium-polymer cells in a configuration that maximizes energy density. While not technically “tabless” in the same way as Milwaukee’s approach, POWERSTACK cells achieve similar goals: lower internal resistance, better heat management, and more consistent power delivery. The flat cell design also allows DEWALT to create thinner, more compact battery packs. Their 5.0Ah POWERSTACK is notably slimmer than a traditional 20V MAX 5.0Ah pack.
Makita XGT and 18V LXT: Makita has taken a dual-platform approach. Their 40V MAX XGT line uses high-discharge cells that deliver more power through higher voltage rather than cell-level redesign. However, Makita’s upcoming 18V LXT battery refresh -- expected to launch as “LXT HD” -- reportedly incorporates tabless cylindrical cells similar in concept to Milwaukee’s FORGE. Makita’s advantage is their Star Protection Computer Controls, which optimize charging profiles for different cell chemistries automatically.
Bosch CORE18V: Bosch’s latest CORE18V batteries have quietly incorporated improved cell technology with lower internal resistance, though Bosch hasn’t marketed a specific “tabless” brand name. Their focus has been on the ProCORE line in the European market, which uses 21700 cells with enhanced current-carrying capacity. Bosch’s CoolPack technology -- which uses a heat-conductive housing to dissipate cell heat -- complements the reduced internal heat generation of newer cells.
What This Means in Practice
The real-world impact of these battery advances shows up in three areas that matter to users. First, sustained power: tools maintain peak performance longer into a battery’s charge cycle rather than gradually weakening. Second, runtime per charge improves because less energy is wasted as heat inside the cells. Third, battery longevity increases -- instead of noticing degradation after 300-400 charge cycles, next-generation packs should maintain capacity past 800 cycles.
For contractors, this translates to fewer battery swaps per day, less time waiting for charges, and longer intervals before replacing worn-out packs. The reduced heat generation also matters for safety: internal cell temperatures staying lower means fewer instances of thermal protection kicking in and temporarily shutting down your tool mid-cut.
Real-World Performance Impact
Specs and engineering explanations only tell part of the story. Here's how tabless cell technology actually shows up in day-to-day tool use.
Driving lag bolts and structural screws: This is where the technology is most obvious. A standard M18 battery running an impact driver at high load will throttle noticeably around the 80% depletion mark as cell heat accumulates and the BMS steps in. A FORGE battery in the same tool under the same load maintains noticeably more consistent output from 100% down to around 15%. The practical effect: the last third of your battery's charge delivers performance closer to what you got in the first third. Fewer batteries needed per shift.
Cold weather performance: Standard lithium-ion cells lose significant capacity in cold temperatures -- a battery that delivers 30 minutes of runtime at 70 degrees might deliver 18-20 minutes at 20 degrees. Tabless cell designs, particularly Milwaukee's FORGE with its improved electrolyte, perform better in cold because the lower internal resistance compensates partly for the chemical slowdown that cold temperatures cause. Contractors working through winter months notice this most -- the FORGE battery starts the day with more usable capacity in sub-freezing temperatures than a standard pack.
Circular saw cutting through thick material: A circular saw ripping through 3/4" hardwood or doubled-up decking lumber demands high instantaneous current from the battery. This is exactly the high-discharge scenario where tabless cells shine. The wider current pathway delivers energy faster, which means the motor maintains blade speed under load rather than bogging. Users report that saws equipped with FORGE or POWERSTACK batteries feel like they have a larger-capacity battery -- the voltage sag under load is noticeably less.
Fast-charge recovery between uses: Tabless cells accept charge faster because their lower internal resistance allows more current to flow during charging without damaging the cells. Milwaukee's FORGE batteries paired with their Rapid Charge 12A charger replenish faster than standard packs. On a busy job site where batteries rotate through chargers all day, faster charge acceptance means batteries spend less time on the charger and more time in tools.
Which Current Tools Use Tabless Cells
As of early 2026, tabless cell technology is in the battery, not the tool -- which means any tool that accepts FORGE or POWERSTACK batteries benefits from the technology, regardless of when the tool was made.
Milwaukee FORGE-compatible tools: All M18 tools accept FORGE batteries and run them with full backward compatibility. However, as Milwaukee rolls out "FORGE Optimized" tools, those specific models unlock additional performance modes not available with standard REDLITHIUM packs. The first wave of FORGE-optimized tools includes the Gen 4 M18 FUEL hammer drill (2905-20), impact driver (2954-20), and circular saw. More tools are being added through 2026. Even on non-optimized tools, FORGE batteries deliver better sustained performance than standard packs due to their lower resistance.
DeWalt POWERSTACK-compatible tools: Like Milwaukee, POWERSTACK batteries work in all 20V MAX tools. DeWalt hasn't implemented a "POWERSTACK Optimized" tier the way Milwaukee has with FORGE, but the improved power delivery is present in any 20V MAX tool. The compact POWERSTACK design is particularly advantageous in smaller tools like the DCF850B impact driver and compact drills where pack size affects tool balance.
Makita LXT HD (upcoming): Makita's refreshed 18V batteries, expected to arrive as the LXT HD line in late 2026, are expected to bring tabless cell technology to the largest cordless platform by tool count. Makita's Star Protection system will automatically detect and optimize charging profiles for the new cells. Current XGT 40V tools already benefit from high-discharge cell technology, though this isn't marketed as "tabless" by Makita specifically.
Bosch CORE18V with ProCORE cells: Bosch's highest-capacity CORE18V batteries -- the 8Ah and 12Ah ProCORE packs -- use 21700 cells with improved current handling. These are available in North America and deliver better sustained performance in demanding applications than the earlier CORE18V chemistry. Bosch hasn't launched a tabless product with the same marketing emphasis as Milwaukee or DeWalt, but the underlying cell technology continues to advance with each generation.
The Bigger Picture: Solid-State Is Coming
While tabless cells are the story of 2025-2026, the next frontier is solid-state batteries. These replace the liquid electrolyte in current lithium-ion cells with a solid material, eliminating the fire risk that occasionally makes headlines and enabling even higher energy density. Toyota, Samsung SDI, and QuantumScape are leading solid-state development for automotive applications, and the technology will eventually trickle down to power tools -- likely in the 2028-2030 timeframe. When it does, expect battery packs that are half the weight and twice the capacity of what we use today.
For now, though, the tabless cell revolution is delivering meaningful improvements that you can buy today. If your current batteries are aging and you’re planning replacements, it’s worth investing in the newest generation packs from your platform of choice. The performance difference is noticeable from the first trigger pull.
