GAL 18V-160 C ultra fast battery charger
The GAL 18V-160 C is an ultra fast battery charger from Bosch for Bosch Professional 14.4V and 18V batteries.
According to Bosch this charger with 16 Ampere is world's fastest 18 volt charger.
Although the shape and size of the housing is identical to the GAL 18V-40 this charger packs in a lot more features and has almost double the weight.
This charger has active air cooling which means there is a fan inside to move air around to reduce the temperature of the battery and charger to allow faster charging without over heating. The down side is that the charger makes noise and care has to be taken not to block the ventilation slits and keep dust from entering.
Charging speed
Because this charger can deliver much more power than most other charger the limiting factor for charging a battery is not the charging current but the battery and its ability to stay cool.
This means that some high capacity batteries with better cooling capabilities actually charge faster in this charger than some lower capacity batteries.
| Battery capacity | Minutes to 80% | Minutes to 100% |
|---|---|---|
| 2.0 Ah | 15 | 25 |
| 3.0 Ah | 24 | 46 |
| 4.0 Ah | 15 | 25 |
| 5.0 Ah | 20 | 35 |
| 6.0 Ah | 24 | 46 |
| 6.3 Ah | 24 | 37 |
| ProCORE 18V 4.0 Ah | 32 | 51 |
| ProCORE 18V 8.0 Ah | 32 | 51 |
| ProCORE 18V 12.0 Ah | 36 | 55 |
| Power Boost ProCORE 18V 4.0 Ah | 9 | 21 |
| Power Boost ProCORE 18V 8.0 Ah | 15 | 26 |
Exterior
The charger has a rectangular black plastic housing. The front half is sloped towards the front. The power cord is permanently attached on the back can be wrapped around the rear half and is kept in place by some cable guides near the back.
Near the front is a receptacle for a single battery that is inserted upside down. There is a red warning LED on the left. In the middle is a red "Power boost" button which is illuminated with a red LED when activated. On the right are five green LEDs that indicate the battery charge level.
It is possible to mount the charger on a wall with screws using screw mounts on the bottom, where there are also ventilation slits in the housing.
Operation
The battery will start charging as soon as it inserted in the charger. The status can be observed by the LEDs and an audio signal will sound when charging is done.
The fan will automatically come on unless the battery temperature sensor indicates it is less than 0º C (freezing).
Power boost
To speed up the charging the "Power boost" button can be pressed. This can be done before or while a battery is inserted. The button will light up red and the battery will charge up to 50% at an increased speed. The button will then turn off and charging will resume at regular speed.
Bluetooth connectivity
The charger has a built-in wireless communication module that uses Bluetooth to connect to an app on a smartphone to get more information about the charging process and also change the charging modes.
The module is located behind a round over on the charging receptacle. The cover can be opened by twisting it with a coin. The module can be removed so that the charger can also be used in environments where wireless communications are restricted.