Chris Doel, an electrical engineer from the UK, used his creativity to turn discarded vapes into a high-capacity battery for an e-bike.
He collected hundreds of vapes at a music festival, dismantled them, and used the lithium-ion batteries to create a functional 48-volt battery, with 3D printed modules and a battery management system.
The project highlighted how many discarded vapes still contain batteries with usable life, which are often unnecessarily thrown away because manufacturers don’t allow consumers to recharge them, prematurely rendering them useless.
+ Click here to watch the project video
When assembling his homemade battery, Doel was able to ride 33 km on his e-bike without pedaling. His work drew attention to the waste caused by disposable vapes, which create tons of electronic waste, especially since approximately 260 million of these vapes are discarded every year in the UK. For him, it’s clear that the current system is flawed, as many batteries could still be reused but are unnecessarily thrown away.
He also emphasized that many parts of vapes, such as aluminum casings, can be recycled but are often overlooked. The goal of Doel’s project was to show that much of what we consider waste can still be reused, like vape batteries, which have the potential to be transformed into something valuable, such as a battery for an e-bike.
Photo: YouTube @Chris_doel | This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team