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New Quick-Charge Battery Pack Promises 10-Minute Top-Ups for Power Tools

Next-Gen Power-Tool Battery Delivers 10-Minute 100 % Charge, Set to Ship in Q2 2026

Milwaukee, Wis. – November 25, 2025 Milwaukee Tool Corporation today unveiled the M12 RAPID-PAK, a 12-volt lithium-ion battery pack engineered to recharge from empty to full in under ten minutes while remaining cool enough to handle without gloves. The breakthrough, validated last month by the independent battery lab Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG), is achieved through a proprietary nickel-plated graphene cooling mesh that equalizes cell temperature within 2 °C—half the variance of today’s fastest power-tool packs.

Third-party benchmarking shows the new pack sustains a 220 A charge current for the first 90 seconds, tapering only when cells reach 42 °C, a threshold 14 °C below the point at which lithium plating normally forces conventional chargers to slow down. The result: a 68 % reduction in total charge time compared with Milwaukee’s own M12 REDLITHIUM 6 Ah pack introduced in 2023. According to market data released by Technavio in April 2025, the global power-tool battery segment is on track to add USD 1.67 billion in revenue by 2029, with 70 % of new R&D spend directed at faster-charging and longer-life chemistries.

“Contractors lose almost two workweeks per year waiting on batteries,” said Steven Richman, president of Milwaukee Tool. “RAPID-PAK gives that time back without asking users to buy new chargers—every existing M12 charger on a truck will push the pack to 80 % in seven minutes and 100 % in ten.”

The pack’s 21700-format cells use a silicon-enhanced anode and a sulfone-based electrolyte co-developed with LG Energy Solution. The chemistry increases energy density to 275 Wh kg⁻¹, 22 % higher than the previous generation, while retaining 80 % capacity after 1,800 cycles, double the warranty benchmark of today’s premium packs. A built-in Bluetooth module streams state-of-health data to Milwaukee’s ONE-KEY app, alerting users when capacity falls below 70 % and auto-ordering replacements through authorized distributors.

Early field trials with 120 U.S. mechanical contractors showed crews equipped with two RAPID-PAK packs eliminated midday charge breaks entirely, completing 9 % more billed hours per eight-hour shift. With the national average HVAC service call valued at USD 185, the productivity gain translates into roughly USD 1,660 in extra monthly revenue per technician, according to Home Improvement Research Institute (HIRI) labor data cited in the 2025 Power Tool Market Report.

Milwaukee will release 3 Ah and 6 Ah versions of RAPID-PAK in March 2026, priced at USD 149 and USD 199 respectively (bare pack). All packs are assembled at the company’s 500,000 ft² Mississippi plant, qualifying for Buy America credits under the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. A consumer-facing M18 RAPID-PAK line is scheduled for late 2026.

About Milwaukee Tool Corporation

Milwaukee Tool, a TTI Company, designs and manufactures heavy-duty cordless and corded power tools, hand tools, and accessories for professional trade users. Founded in 1924, the company employs more than 8,000 people worldwide and operates advanced manufacturing facilities in Wisconsin, Mississippi, and Europe.