EU BAN ON NiCd BATTERY SALES IN CORDLESS TOOLS

An EU law will come into effect on 31st Decemeber 2016 banning the use of cadmium in the production of portable batteries and accumulators used in cordless power tools such as drills, screwdrivers or saws.

The existing "Batteries Directive 2006/66/EC" prohibits the placing on the market of portable batteries and accumulators, including those incorporated in devices or products, which contain more than 0.002% of cadmium by weight, with exceptions for certain categories of products. 

The proposed revision will end the current exemption for cordless power tools on 31 January 2016.

The new rules will allow existing batteries and accumulators to be sold until stocks are exhausted. Manufacturers will need to design appliances to ensure that waste batteries and accumulators can be easily removed, at least by independent professionals.

The new legislation will mean that Hilti will no longer be allowed to manufacture cadmium based batteries typically known as Nickel-Cadmium or NiCd batteries. Although not part of this directive, as part of our commitment to protecting the environment, we will also cease production of older Nickel-Metal Hyrdide (NImH) batteries at the same time.

These NiCd and NImH baterries were typically used in older generation cordless power tools such as the TE 5-A, TE 10-A and TE 6-A (1st generation) rotary hammer drills along with cordless screwdrivers such as the SF 100-A. 

Can i continue to use these batteries?

Yes, the directive does not ban the use of these batteries, only the ongoing manufacturing of these batteries, so if your battery and tool are still working, then you can continue to use them.

If you have one or several of these batteries but no longer use them, we encourage you to recyle it responsibly in accordance with directive 2006/66/EC. As part of this directive, Hilti offers a recycling point for all batteries at each of our Hilti Centres around the country.

What happens if i need a battery for one of these tools?

Due to the age of the batteries and tools, if you have a TE 5-A, TE 10-A or TE 6-A (1st gen), we would encourage you to trade up to the latest generation of cordless rotary hammer drill to take advantage of the latest technology and performance enhancements.

Call our customer services team on 1850 287 387 to find out about the latest "Cordless innovations" from Hilti 

What if I don't want to trade in my old rotary hammer drill?

If you're not looking to trade-in your old tool we can still supply batteries whilst stocks last. Although we are no longer allowed to manufacture the batteries, under the directive, we are still allowed to continue to sell existing stock that we hold, however we have limited batteries available.

 If you wish to purchase one of these batteries please contact our customer services team on 1850 287 387 who will be able to advise you accordingly.