Innovative Engineering: Repurposing Waste for Sustainable Energy

Chris Doel, a 26-year-old British engineer working for Jaguar Land Rover, has created a rechargeable battery pack capable of powering his entire home using the lithium-ion batteries from 500 discarded vaping pens.

He began this innovative project after noticing friends throwing away depleted vapes, which he found contained fully rechargeable batteries despite being marketed as single-use products. By stripping the batteries from these vapes, some collected and others provided by a local shop, he assembled a battery bank totaling 2.5 kilowatt-hours of capacity, successfully running his home off-grid for eight hours.

Doel documented his process on YouTube, where his video has garnered over 4 million views. In May 2025, he received 2,000 vapes from a local vape shop and spent six months extracting the batteries, constructing the massive battery pack with a 3D printed case, and implementing safety features.

He plans to convert the system to solar power for continuous recharging, highlighting the potential for repurposing e-waste into sustainable energy solutions. Notably, the UK banned the sale of single-use vapes in June, which Doel believes has contributed to a reduction in waste, while advocating for refillable vapes as a more sustainable alternative.

According to the Good News Network, Doel’s project emphasizes the importance of recycling and innovative engineering in addressing environmental challenges.