Ryobi Battery Tech Explained: A Look At Cool-Core Pro & Intellicell

While Ryobi has a long-established history in the powered and non-powered tool arena, over the past couple of decades, it has, arguably, become one of the most prominent names in the game. That's particularly true of the extensive line of powered tools manufactured by Techtronic Industries under the Ryobi badge, as devices fueled by its High-Performance Lithium Ion battery packs can now be purchased through several major online retailers, not to mention be found in the homes of millions of users.

Power is, of course, one of the most important elements that goes into the making and ultimate success of any battery-powered device. For its part, Ryobi has developed a solid enough reputation in the market for producing powerful, reliable battery packs for its tools. They've done so with the added caveat that many of those packs are interchangeable between tools bearing the Ryobi name.

If you've done any research into Ryobi's One+ battery packs, you know the company is touting them as among the more advanced that are currently available to consumers. Whether or not Ryobi's battery packs actually live up to that billing, arguments can be made that some of the technology used in their making is as forward-thinking as it is unique to the brand. But it's safe to assume that even those who've read and been intrigued by phrases like Ryobi Cool-Core or Intellicell may not know what those features are intended to do. 

If you're a regular user of power tools, you've likely got some experience with overheated devices. While that problem is one that plagues the motors of a power tool, it can also be a big issue for the battery pack powering the device. Like many other power tool manufacturers, Ryobi has sought to limit motor overheats by outfitting its newer devices with more efficient brushless motors. As for the latter issue, Ryobi's Cool-Core technology is designed to help its battery packs keep cool when they're put to the test in the field.

So, what exactly does Cool-Core mean? Essentially, Cool-Core is a heat management system devised by Ryobi that aims to help reduce a battery pack's temperature by as much as 30% when it is in use. It may also increase its lifespan by as much as 50% while delivering fade-free power to a device no matter what conditions you're working in. Per Ryobi's description, the performance-enhancing feature uses technologically upgraded design elements to keep the battery pack cool, including laser welded cell straps and upgraded heat sinks.

It should go without saying that a cooler running, longer lasting battery can seriously elevate your game, whether you're powering a Ryobi device on a worksite or for a DIY project at home. Since many One+ batteries are interchangeable between devices, you may also be able to use Cool-Core-enabled battery packs to power multiple tools in your Ryobi arsenal.

With Ryobi's Cool-Core technology seeking to ensure your battery packs keep cool on the job, the question now becomes what, exactly, the brand's Intellicell tech is designed to do. As its name implies, Intellicell is a pseudo-smart battery feature that is designed to help Ryobi packs run more efficiently and potentially longer when they are in use. 

That no doubt sounds like a desirable feature, though that description doesn't entirely detail what Intellicell does. Ryobi claims the Intellicell feature is designed to allow a battery to self-monitor its distribution of power between individual cells and, based on its findings, redistribute the power more evenly among them. More succinctly, Intellicell can track when one or more of the cells in a battery pack might be running lower than others and respond by transferring the load to cells therein that still have the juice to properly handle the work.

There are several reasons that such a feature should be desirable for any power tool owner. Chief among them are the possibilities that, by spreading the workload evenly among battery cells, Intellicell should, in theory, not only improve how long your battery will run on a full charge but also provide more consistent output to the device it's powering — and all while optimizing its overall performance. If Ryobi's claims ring true, Intellicell may also increase the durability of the battery pack itself, making it ideal to power your tools in any number of potentially adverse working conditions.