Join day by day information updates from CleanTechnica on e-mail. Or comply with us on Google Information!
And now for one thing utterly totally different… A inventive YouTuber just lately picked up a complete bunch of discarded single-use (disposable) vapes at a music pageant, disassembled them, after which used their battery cells to construct a useful e-bike battery pack.
As lithium-ion batteries get smaller and cheaper, their inclusion into extra “disposable” client merchandise is turning into a problem — you’re not supposed to only chuck them within the trash like alkaline batteries and hope for the very best — and a few gadgets, like single-use vaping units, are being disposed of on a big scale nowadays. Gratefully, there are folks like Chris Doel on the market, who made some extent concerning the wastefulness of those disposable merchandise by harvesting their guts and placing them again to work.
In response to an in depth submit concerning the vape-machine on Ars Technica, Chris Doel’s jerry-rigged homebrewed e-bike battery is “proof” that “Most one-use vape batteries are literally rechargeable.”
“Disposable vapes are indefensible. Many, or perhaps most, of them comprise rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, however producers desire to promote new ones. Greater than 260 million vape batteries are estimated to enter the trash stream yearly within the UK alone. Vapers and vape makers are merely leaving an e-waste epidemic to the planet’s future residents to type out.
“To make some extent about how wasteful this observe is—and to additionally make a fairly rad challenge and video—Chris Doel took 130 disposable vape batteries (the larger “3,500 puff” sorts with mannequin 20400 cells) discovered littered at a music pageant and transformed them right into a 48-volt, 1,500-watt e-bike battery, one which powered an e-bike with virtually no pedaling greater than 20 miles.”
Within the feedback on a reddit submit to a battery subreddit, Doel states:
“Seems disposable vapes have absolutely rechargeable batteries in them (despite the fact that they’re thrown away after one use!). So I collected 130 of them and extracted their cells to construct a 48V 15Ah e-bike battery. It solely price me about £60 in elements as properly!
“The cells utilized in these movies have been 20400s and have been 1.5Ah every, which is basically spectacular on condition that they’re free.”
The YouTube video of this vape-to-e-bike challenge isn’t embeddable, however might be seen right here, the place it’s racked up virtually 900K views up to now. And for those who’re into different DIY/recycling/repurposing of potential e-waste tasks, be sure you catch his earlier video about utilizing 35 disposable vape batteries to create a quick charging energy financial institution “that may even cost laptops.”
What does this imply for the way forward for micromobility? Simpler vape battery recycling will velocity up the transition of transportation from molecules to electrons? Perhaps perhaps perhaps? On a really tiny scale? Ars Technica additionally informs us that, “US PIRG suggests the lithium contained in annually’s wasted vapes within the US is about 23.6 tons, or sufficient for two,600 electrical automobiles.” Hmm… I can virtually scent the launch of a vape battery recycling startup within the air. Or is it a “sensible” vape battery-swapping station? A vape-sharing app? A vape-to-pack EV skateboard producer? The sky’s the restrict…
Featured picture: Screenshot from YouTube
Chip in just a few {dollars} a month to assist help unbiased cleantech protection that helps to speed up the cleantech revolution!
Have a tip for CleanTechnica? Wish to promote? Wish to counsel a visitor for our CleanTech Speak podcast? Contact us right here.
Join our day by day e-newsletter for 15 new cleantech tales a day. Or join our weekly one if day by day is just too frequent.
CleanTechnica makes use of affiliate hyperlinks. See our coverage right here.
CleanTechnica’s Remark Coverage