Kärcher and STIHL Form Strategic Alliance with New Battery System

Setting a New Standard for Professional Applications

Adopting the "ALLPRO" Battery System as the Technological Foundation

Specialized Manufacturers in Forestry, Landscaping, and Construction Also Participating

Michael Traub, Chairman of the STIHL AG Executive Board, and Hartmut Jenner, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Board of Alfred Kärcher SE & Co. KG

Germany's Alfred Kärcher SE & Co. KG (hereinafter "Kärcher") and ANDREAS STIHL AG & Co. KG (hereinafter "STIHL"), companies driving innovative technological development, announced on July 2, 2026, the signing of a joint alliance in the battery sector. This alliance has been launched as a strategic partnership aimed at providing a common, high-performance, and future-proof battery standard for professional users. At the core of this alliance is the "ALLPRO" battery system developed by STIHL, which will be progressively adopted in the professional product lines of both brands.

Comment from Michael Traub, Chairman of the STIHL AG Executive Board:

"Professional users demand more than just high-performance tools. They need a 'system' that supports a wide range of tasks, reduces complexity, and offers long-term investment value. ALLPRO meets precisely these needs. Through our partnership with Kärcher, the application areas for this battery system will expand further, bringing new added value to our customers' daily operations."

Comment from Hartmut Jenner, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Board of Alfred Kärcher SE & Co. KG:

"STIHL and Kärcher are family-owned companies that have built their success on an unwavering commitment to innovation and quality. By creating synergy between our products, we will go beyond mere technological provision and accelerate the electrification of professional applications. We believe this will significantly enhance our customers' competitiveness."

Benefits for Professional Users

Through this partnership, professional users will be able to use a common high-performance battery and charger for both Kärcher's cleaning equipment and STIHL's outdoor power tools.

For current STIHL product users, ALLPRO maintains full compatibility with the existing "AP System" battery series, ensuring continued use with confidence. A key feature is the ability to effectively utilize existing AP System batteries with new Kärcher battery-powered equipment. While ALLPRO represents a new platform for Kärcher, support and battery supply for the existing "Battery Universe" platform will continue to be guaranteed.

As a result, a wide range of daily operations in areas such as landscaping, forestry, and cleaning can be covered by a single battery system. This offers significant advantages in terms of efficiency, logistics, and cost-effectiveness, marking a technological turning point for these industries.

The new batteries are scheduled for sequential release at authorized STIHL dealers starting August 1, 2026. Kärcher plans to launch the new batteries and compatible equipment in January 2027. The plans and release timing for the Japanese market are currently undecided.

Both companies will continue to focus on providing solutions that leverage their high technical capabilities, proven reliability, and aim to make field operations for professionals more efficient and simpler. This alliance also includes specialized manufacturers of forestry winches, equipment transporters, and mobile refueling systems. This will enable the use of over 120 models of equipment, from forestry and landscaping to construction, facility management, and even disaster relief organizations, with the same battery. Furthermore, advanced charging and energy management systems will offer more comprehensive solutions.

For more detailed information, please visit: www.allpro-alliance.com (English website)

ALLPRO High-Performance Battery (Tabless Technology)

ALLPRO, a cross-brand battery system, caters to various applications through two technological classes. The AP 20.1 and AP 30.1 are basic models using standard cells with a proven sales record. While these batteries are familiar to existing STIHL product users, they will be updated with the unified ALLPRO design.

The higher-end models, AP 100 P, AP 200 P, and AP 300 P, feature an innovative tabless cell structure. Previously, current flowed through a single tab (contact point), causing heat generation. In the tabless structure, current is distributed across the entire cell, significantly improving the efficiency of energy flow.

This structure minimizes internal resistance, greatly reducing heat generation during use and charging, thereby suppressing a primary cause of cell degradation. For example, the new AP 300 P model offers approximately a 60% increase in maximum output and a 20% increase in continuous usage time compared to conventional batteries. Charging time to full capacity is halved, and performance degradation is minimal even after up to 3,000 charging cycles.

With innovative tabless technology, the higher-end models of the STIHL ALLPRO system (AP 100 P, AP 200 P, and AP 300 P shown above) achieve excellent power-to-weight ratios. Furthermore, they offer extremely fast charging compared to batteries using standard cells, with no performance degradation even after up to 3,000 charging cycles.

The integration of Kärcher's diverse range of professional cleaning equipment with this common battery will bring significant operational advantages in terms of efficiency, logistics, and cost-effectiveness.

ALLPRO employs next-generation professional battery technology designed to withstand demanding tasks in forestry, landscaping, and public service operations. The core of the system consists of new high-performance batteries with varying energy capacities. Innovative tabless technology delivers significantly improved output and excellent power-to-weight ratios. Additionally, it enables extended continuous operation while substantially reducing charging times, coupled with high robustness.

* If introduced into the Japanese market in the future, the products and specifications may differ from those in Germany.

About Kärcher

Kärcher is a global company with over 17,000 employees in 170 companies across 87 countries. With the mission "Make the world a cleaner place," it conducts business activities with a focus on sustainability. It provides solutions for protecting valuable assets, from homes and their surroundings to communities, workplaces, and cultural heritage.

Kärcher offers products and services that meet all cleaning needs worldwide, from everyday cleaning to specialized cleaning. It provides reliable solutions for both professional and domestic use, continuously pursuing innovations that benefit people and the environment while addressing cleaning challenges.

Since its founding in 1935, Kärcher has been a pioneer in cleaning technology, achieving sales of 3.483 billion euros in 2025.

Company information can be found here: https://www.kaercher.com/int/inside-kaercher/company/about-kaercher.html

About STIHL

STIHL is a globally operating technology leader. Since its founding in 1926, it has provided products that embody its brand philosophy: "To make work more comfortable for people working in and with nature." Today, it has production sites in 8 countries, 40 sales subsidiaries, approximately 100 importers, and a network of over 50,000 dealers. It has maintained the top global sales position in the chainsaw sector since 1971. In 2025, it recorded 20,246 employees and sales of 5.48 billion euros.

Company information can be found here: https://corporate.stihl.com

100 Years Facing Nature. Trust Since 1926.

STIHL has been a familiar presence in outdoor work environments for 100 years. Its 100th anniversary is a tribute to everyone who works daily with STIHL products worldwide, including those who protect the world's forests, manage urban environments, meticulously tend to their gardens, and develop and manufacture new STIHL products.

Stories and projects from these individuals can be found here:

https://100.stihl.com