A British engineer has used batteries recovered from 500 disposable vapes to take his workshop entirely off-grid, powering everything from his computer and Wi-Fi to a fridge and microwave.
YouTuber Chris Doel paired the homemade battery pack with four second-hand solar panels, then disconnected his workshop from the mains to see whether the system could keep it running through the day and night.
The latest experiment builds on earlier projects in which Doel used the same collection of recycled vape batteries to power his home and drive a small electric car for 18 miles.
Workshop runs through the night
Doel bought four second-hand solar panels, each rated at 470 watts, for around £70 apiece and mounted them on the roof of his workshop.
Electricity generated by the panels passed through a solar charge controller before being stored in the battery pack. An inverter then converted it into the type of electricity used by ordinary household appliances.
Before beginning the off-grid test, Doel rebuilt one section of the battery after discovering that some cells had been damaged during storage.
He also deliberately short-circuited the replacement module to test its safety system. Dozens of small fuses blew immediately, cutting the electrical connections before the batteries could overheat.
Once the workshop was disconnected from the mains, the system powered a desktop computer, lights, Wi-Fi, a fridge, workshop equipment and a microwave.
The panels generated up to 1.4kW when conditions improved, producing more electricity than the workshop needed at some points. Doel diverted the spare power into charging his modified electric car.
The main challenge came overnight, when the solar panels were no longer producing electricity.
After turning off unnecessary lights and reducing his power use, Doel woke the following morning to find the battery still held around 46 per cent of its charge.
He reportedly continued running the workshop on the system for another month without experiencing any major problems.
More than 500 batteries tested
Doel created the battery pack using cells removed from discarded vapes gathered from festivals and local vape shops.
Each rechargeable lithium-ion cell had to be tested individually before it could be included, because its condition could not be judged from its appearance alone.
The recovered cells were then combined into a larger battery system incorporating individual fuses, temperature sensors and equipment to monitor their voltage.
The project requires specialist technical knowledge and is not one for consumers to attempt at home. Damaged or incorrectly charged lithium-ion batteries can overheat or catch fire, particularly when hundreds of cells are connected together.
Vape batteries also used in Ukraine
The project follows other efforts to repurpose vape components for practical use. Volunteers with the Leeds Ukrainian Community Association have dismantled single-use vapes and sent the batteries and wiring to Ukraine, where they have been turned into portable chargers and energy packs for soldiers.
The components have been used to power drones, phones and night-vision equipment, as well as providing light and heat for cooking in trenches.
LUCA trustee Viacheslav Semeniuk previously said: “This is sometimes the only source of power. We crack open the vape and pull out the battery, isolate the wires, and pack them into boxes. If we can utilise whatever is not needed anymore and make it for free, why not?”
Vape batteries previously powered a car
The off-grid test followed an earlier experiment in which Doel installed more than 500 recovered vape batteries in a Reva G-Wiz electric car.
The cells were arranged in 14 rows inside 3D-printed supports, with aluminium panels added to keep them secure while the car was moving.
Together, they created a 50-volt pack with an estimated capacity of between 2.3 and 2.5 kilowatt-hours.
The modified G-Wiz travelled approximately 29 kilometres, or 18 miles, before the charge was depleted. It reached around 40mph during parts of the journey.
Doel installed a battery-management system to monitor individual cells, along with temperature probes and fuses designed to isolate any battery that developed a fault.
The car’s lights, windscreen wipers and other lower-voltage equipment were supplied through a separate converter.
The battery could even be recharged through a USB-C connection using a 138-watt laptop charger, although this was far slower than a conventional electric-car charging system.
Doel estimated that a modern electric vehicle could require about 12,000 vape batteries, making the approach impractical as a replacement for commercial car batteries.
The projects offer an eye-catching answer to what can be achieved with used disposable vapes- drive an electric car for 18 miles, keep a workshop running off-grid and provide power for vital equipment on the Ukrainian front line.
