Powering an e-bike using disposable vapes is almost beyond engineering – Nationwide

It is estimated that around five million single-use vapes are thrown away every week in the UK; that’s about eight per second.

In recent years, the use of disposables has increased dramatically – including in Canada where, according to some research, it is now the most used type of e-cigarette among young people.

What many vapers don’t realize is that the tools they throw away contain rare earth metals that are the key to many new technologies.

Not-for-profit group Material Focus estimates the batteries inside every vape discarded in the UK by 2022 hold enough lithium to power at least 5,000 electric cars.

For Chris Doel it is a senseless waste.

Doel is a 25-year-old engineer who works for a major car manufacturing company in the Midlands of England.

“I see people around me smoking these and throwing them away after just one use. And the electrical engineer in me was thinking, ‘How can these be disposed of?'” said Doel from his garage workshop in downtown Rugby.

“Especially when you see the little flashing lights. I knew they might have some important electronics inside.”

So, Doel did what any engineer who calls his sodium chloride would do – he cracked open the vape to see what the battery looked like.

“When I first saw these cells, I thought they were remarkably similar to the cells we actually use inside our bike batteries, anyway. So I see no reason why we couldn’t use these instead.

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“So the first step is to collect them and that is not a very difficult thing. They are everywhere. You find them in the woods, kicking them on the pavement.”

Doel calculates that he will need 130 units to power his bike.

He tested each battery to make sure they worked safely, designed cables and a 3D printed case to hold them together.

Doel warns that no one should attempt this unless they are familiar with electronics and batteries.

“They can cause overheating. They can burn you, they can explode, they can burn your house,” he said.

Doel estimates that the battery for his homemade e-bike costs about a quarter of the price of a commercial model, but he says the project wasn’t all about saving money.

“It’s an incredible source of e-waste and I’m very happy that I was able to harvest all of this and create some really interesting battery packs,” said Doel.

“Because I can show the whole world – and all the other countries that haven’t banned it – what they can do, and I hope to speed up that process and raise awareness so that people can move to recycling. Other ways.”

The UK will ban single-use, disposable vapes by 2025, with other countries to follow.

Mark Miodownik is professor of Materials and Organization at University College London.

He says the issue of vape waste is part of a much bigger problem.

“Once you get the lithium out (of the ground), you really want to hold onto it. It’s just a complete crime to throw it away,” said Miodownik.

“Why is it cheap to throw away valuables? Well, because the price is artificial. It does not involve pollution. And if you put dirt in, it wouldn’t be cheap and disposal wouldn’t be an option. “

Miodownnik believes that both legislation and education are important in creating a circular economy where we reuse, repair or reduce our use of valuable or hazardous materials.

With the UK vape ban looming, Doel knows he may be running out of time to complete his next projects.

He wants to use hundreds, or thousands of vapes to create a powerwall – possibly connected to solar panels – to use at his workplace, or his home.

As one of his YouTube videos went viral, he even asked people to send him their used vapes.

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