It’s not a project for most people, but watching someone ride up to 20 miles, and up to 30 mph, on tossed-out vape batteries is transfixing.

Disposable vapes are indefensible. Many, or maybe most, of them contain rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, but manufacturers prefer to sell new ones.

To make a point about how wasteful this practice is—and to also make a pretty rad project and video—Chris Doel took 130 disposable vape batteries (the bigger “3,500 puff” types with model 20400 cells) found littered at a music festival and converted them into a 48-volt, 1,500-watt e-bike battery, one that powered an e-bike with almost no pedaling more than 20 miles. You can see the whole build and watch Doel zoom along trails on his YouTube video.

  • EvilBit@lemmy.worldEnglish
    29·
    16 days ago

    I’m not a vape user, but the model is the kind of thing that just makes me so angry.

    In a world that makes sense:

    • small, mostly metal vape chassis
    • rechargeable, replaceable battery
    • built-in glass reservoir with charging valve
    • vape juice sold in medium to large recyclable cans with standard interface to the charging valve

    In a world where Profit is God (the real world):

    • disposable chassis
    • disposable battery
    • if it’s refillable at all, it’s via non-recyclable, mixed material, mostly plastic, proprietary cartridges and you can save 5% if you subscribe online for refills, 10% if you pay yearly, $5 credit if you refer a friend on social media using hashtag #smoovape
    • probably gives you turbo cancer because the juice is made in a repurposed Freon plant that was inadequately converted and they just don’t answer the phone when the FDA or EPA call
    • BowtiesAreCool@lemmy.worldEnglish
      171·
      16 days ago

      We used to have a great vape market for those types of vapes. Since 2020 state and fed government has rinsed the market “for the kids” and basically created what we see now, a market of 98% disposable sold by overseas companies. Before that there were countless brands making batteries, tanks, etc. now a lot of smoke shops don’t even sell refillable vapes or liquid.

      • acid_falcon@lemmy.worldEnglish
        4·
        16 days ago

        … What? I used to smoke a pack a day, now I just vape. I’ve never seen a smoke shop that doesn’t sell juice

        • BowtiesAreCool@lemmy.worldEnglish
          2·
          16 days ago

          My local shop has about 3 full 6 foot wide floor to ceiling bookcases of just disposables. Then there’s one shelf with one brand of juices and about 7 options.

    • anamethatisnt@lemmy.worldEnglish
      7·
      16 days ago

      I think part of it is something else - ease of use and ease of access.
      The “world that makes sense” product exists already:
      https://www.elementvape.com/box-mod-kits

      While I was vaping I mixed my own liquids though, as the cost savings was immense and I could easily lower the nicotine mg/ml on my own until I quit it altogether.

        • anamethatisnt@lemmy.worldEnglish
          4·
          16 days ago

          Yeah, they had started limiting what you could buy in Sweden as well. My last time mixing I bought a silly amount of 18mg/ml 10ml strong menthol bottles and large 70/30 PG/VG bottles and ended up with my own 3mg/ml mixture that still tasted menthol, although not as overwhelmingly so.

        • YarHarSuperstar@lemmy.worldEnglish
          3·
          16 days ago

          You totally can. I don’t know exactly what the laws are because it’s intentionally not clear but it’s the same process as before, order from a diy website, it comes in the mail, make your stuff at home. I think the difference is that it’s harder for websites to get the license to sell it but there are still some sites out there.

      • Passerby6497@lemmy.worldEnglish
        3·
        16 days ago

        I don’t vape nicotine, so those sorts of things are basically out of my reach. I wish I lived in a legal state and I could get liquid refill bottles.