Powering My Home with Old Laptop Batteries

[@Newport8187]

This dude was home schooled and he’s is so smart. He taught himself all this. People like this is who I idolized.

[@brownj2]

All that means is that he would have learned more had he gone to school. People act like engineering is simple. It is only simple if you are not informed.

[@yodab.at1746]

@@brownj2 your assumption is that he never researched his subject. He is in fact an expert in his field. School can sometimes create boundaries, and a closed mind to learning.

[@pfann1709]

It’s too bad that there are obstacles for even the most qualified of individuals just because they don’t have a degree from an official insitution. We are squandering people’s inherent talent for the sake of another insitution’s profit and the gatekeeping of certain professions.

[@iii-ei5cv]

@@brownj2 you assume his motivation would have been as high sitting in classrooms every day with teachers that don't care and textbooks written by committee

[@eeasq7683]

@@brownj2 Yes, Engineering is hard, and thus it's very hard to go through it alone (without the teachers, without the office hours and without the structured learning process at the university) but at a certain threshold of self motivation you can brute force your way through engineering, only few outliers accomplish that, the majority will still go through the help of the university.

[@foxtailedcritter]

I like this guy. It's not easy, it's no walk in the park he put years of work into making the world a better place. We need these type of people.

[@cameronmanning8606]

Jehu is actually the guys who change the future and created technical advancements before the scribes put them in books. We actually need more Jehu personas across all industries...

[@mathris2875]

Lots of props man. I thought my garage was seriously organized. Very nice and clean. :)

[@kamel3d]

I remember seeing this video few years ago...

[@akshanshsrivastava5835]

Dejavu?

[@kamel3d]

@@akshanshsrivastava5835 no it is from 2017 they just re upload it

[@kamel3d]

@@akshanshsrivastava5835 original video here kzbin.info/www/bejne/mX_FpJyQmNx6ibs

[@akshanshsrivastava5835]

@@kamel3d ah I see

[@noahno]

@@kamel3d do you know what his channel is?

[@DrEvil-os9dc]

I don’t even know how he’s re energizing those spent batteries but I’m deff intrigued in learning!

[@Oscar-if6lq]

When a laptop or phone battery is "spent", it likely still holds a charge and recharges, it's just the voltage has dropped to a point where it can't power the laptop anymore, but that doesn't mean all the capacity is gone, maybe it still holds 50% of its original capacity. The same goes for old electric car batteries, in 10+ years when the battery packs are spent, they can be reused in contexts where power density is less important, such as in grid-storage or powerwalls, because in those cases the energy to weight density is less important. What most people consider as a depreciated cell can still be useful in the right context.

[@Rendus4]

Where do I begin? First off, he isn't renewing the cells themselves, there is no current technology that can renew cells or bring capacity back. What he did back in the day (this video is from 2017) was buy salvage laptop packs, dismantle them, and test each individual cell's capacity and ability to hold a charge (no self-discharge). Sometimes laptops would die for other reasons and the battery packs were still fairly new. Sometimes companies upgraded equipment before the batteries went bad. Sometimes one cell would go bad, while the other 5 or 7 or 8 cells would still be good. Some packs have good cells, but over time, go out of balance way before they are actually dead. Sometimes a laptop will be stored at 0% for a while and the voltage of the pack drops below a safe threshold and the BMS locks it out from getting a charge. Those packs all contain useable cells. The really depleted packs that contain 50% of their original capacity or less are usually recycled because they are too near the end of their life to waste time on. Making these powerwalls is incredibly time consuming, so only the best cells get used. Only about 20-25% of salvage laptop packs contain good used cells.

[@dasalekhya]

@Dr Evil Let me give you a very LAYMAN reply .. few years back 3 of my older power banks started to 'die' (would not hold charge longer & would not charge a new cell phone) So I *daisy chained* them (Type A output to micro B input of the next) ...and viola ! now it charges my cell phone

[@burglebro]

jehu getting the vice treatment nice!

[@cinnamoncrunch2633]

French accent: *I'd like to purchase your finest lithium creation*

[@FascinatingMr]

I admire these folks’ creativity. But, their motivation is even more remarkable.

[@mrbennotmrban]

8:12 he was surprised lol, he is like he doesn't know he was coming

[@flashhobbies]

Super mad props to this gentleman! Wish I had the tenacity to do what he does. I try to learn things but usually life gets in the way. Admiration bro!

[@AD-2020]

I've often thought about the potential to do this - Found this video as I looked at a solar panel/home battery bundle deal here in Australia

[@KikiNation1]

Jehú ... you are famous! Been watching your content for years. Good for you man. 😀

[@voiceofinsight5811]

God bless you sir! We need more of your kind of spirit in this world, now more than ever. I'm inspired!

[@TomDBombed]

It's about time Vice looked this guy up, he has an amazing KZbin channel and sells batteries, controllers and all kinds of awesome electronic supplies.

[@TheCrucialQ]

This is so awesome, I love it. I'm instant fans of both of these guys.

[@kimroberts2704]

His is still at it. I saw a you tube video years ago... Keep up the good work.

[@bladeni6378]

This is a well made documentary. Thank you so much for being yourself and just for the future reference, your are 100% right about everything be electric. Your are more of engineer than must engineers that can't see beyond what they learn in school.

[@taterkaze9428]

An inside powerwall should be enclosed in a temperature-controlled area with an automatic fire suppression system. This guy knows what he's doing, but many other diy'ers will be less knowledgeable and skilled. Considerations: temperature extremes (how hot is your garage)?, lightning/grounding, insurance coverage (will a diy powerwall fire be covered?). Also, how do electrical codes deal with powerwalls?

[@chriskeiffer5861]

Exactly!! So a big reason why they don't want a bunch of people having these battery walls in this house is a money thing. Less money for the power companies. But it's not all just a money thing it's also way a regulations that are put in place for a reason. Example if my neighbor build a power wall and he doesn't know what he's doing and he blows his house up or catches his house on fire now he put my house in my family at risk also. So let's say the whole country does this how did that you may be having a million people they don't know what they're doing now you have a lot of problems everywhere

[@chriskeiffer5861]

@Just Some Communist With Internet Access I think power wall or not they screwed if they have a wildfire nextdoor😂

[@chriskeiffer5861]

@Just Some Communist With Internet Access damn right!!! Hell we can't even get people to keep their e-cigarette mod batteries under control 😂

[@REALchocochan]

doesn't look like to me he really knows... using regular solder on batteries instead of spot welder a big no no..

[@Derpuwolf]

@@REALchocochan He's aware, it's preference. Although, not a preference I like XD

[@rickrandom716]

Jehu garcia the pioneer of the diy power wall. I used to see this guy going up and down on his vw bus and no plates by my neighborhood when he first build his bus. Now he has grown up as one of the gurus on the diy power wall community.

[@kaizze8777]

I do deliveroo food couriering, I started with a manual bike, then an ebike, then I slowly had to learn to replace parts until it got to replacing batteries, then battery parts, then building batteries. amazing how someone with zero engineering skills can learn so much on youtube made practical for work.

[@happyrootsfamily1276]

Been following Jehu for years he's a pioneer of this

[@about823jews]

Honestly I've watched Jehu for a while now and I started when I wanted to learn how to make a DIY power wall to charge my Tesla. ya I could have paid Tesla $5k for one but Jehu showed me how to make one three times more powerful with more features on it for the same price. It was crazy I've since then made an off grid system that most of my stuff runs off of. I don't remember the last time I've paid more than $50 for my electric bill.

[@Lets-follow-HIM]

One of the first videos I watched on this subject and I still live watching it.

[@allilatif1600]

This guy's is so damn awesome

[@CinemaRealty]

This was so fun to watch and your VW is baller ✌️

[@robbonner]

Been a Jehu fan for years. Thank you Vice!!!

[@offwhitemke]

Great to see Jehu Garcia on VICE.

[@YotaWorxs]

Super cool 🚎! Love watching your videos! I to am a battery 🔋 pioneer I am a Prius specialist in Los Angeles and will be building a power wall for my garage! Thanks for all this great information!!!!

[@georgerivera7549]

Jehu you have a gift that most of us don't have , nor do we have the time to learn so would be a way you could create a power wall like you have , a complete package ready to mount on our wall , I would be interested.. thank you you are the Future...

[@deathincarnatesplace]

my grandfather was alva windle and somehow we are related to edison. if you would like they can make the whole neighborhood run on these. just watch the tonight show and know there is one right behind him. NYC's 45-Ton Rotary Convertor this is the subway step up generator and it doesn't use batteries. Batteries just make it cost more.

[@derek3524]

I wonder what the premium for his homeowners insurance is.

[@ReclusiveEagle]

Get your premium before you do this . Boom cheap home free power

[@pratyush4real]

" everyone will have the ability to make their own power" Meanwhile Power Corporations : lol , are you comedy me?

[@houseofancients]

so who needs them ?

[@manuelbernal9989]

comedy me?

[@manuelbernal9989]

@@recliningbuddha oh thanks

[@aarohanrawat5509]

@@manuelbernal9989 kzbin.info/www/bejne/immlZXuQhbuCbdk

[@aarohanrawat5509]

@@recliningbuddha kzbin.info/www/bejne/immlZXuQhbuCbdk

[@amui5575]

vid: does cool insight of DIY's life me: THERE R FREE BATTERIES, HOW HAS THIS BEEN HIDDEN FROM ME FOR SO LONG

[@elephantcup]

There are not free batteries. Recyclers take used battery packs apart, test the cells and re-sell any that are still good. Less expensive than new, but not free. The guy inthe video, Jehu, his income comes from buying and re-selling recycled batteries.

[@Dmkpit401]

As a auto recycler I came across hybrid battery packs because scrap yard for so stupid reason will not except them and inside the steel case are dozens of packs can I use them

[@Rendus4]

Yes, but the secondary market for them is booming due to influencers like Mr. Garcia, so if you dont have a need for them, pass them on.

[@DStripeM]

I had mine set up 15 years now. Self made and self sufficiant. Everything works in the wood cabin and only used car batteries instead of laptop batteries. 16 car batterie is enough for a 2stories building. Lights washing machine and other appliances work.

[@rodolfoguajardo2065]

Big fan of mr. Garcia big inspiration in my life

[@qui3tstorm793]

I love these backyard geniuses.

[@charonsiouxsie949]

Thanks for this uplifting perspective. Have you all looked into the consequences of lithium mining/processing?

[@charonsiouxsie949]

@mike h I think it's vitally important consumers know the origin and impact of the goods they buy. I asked a basic question which absolutely pertains to the channel, not necessarily this video. I think this guy is brilliant and is a great gfella to ask this question. The fact that he's recycling is even more important to the question. I hope that clears up your question.

[@startofthejourney8200]

Keep it coming Vice, keep it coming.

[@JBoy340a]

Very cool. We have solar and Tesla Powerwalls. Hardly use any power from the grid, saves a bundle. And we have power in case the grid goes down. But, I am too timid to build my own batteries. Jehu is amazing.

[@grs6262]

There is more than one way to consider this..the idea is good..in production of batteries, other forms of energy are used..

[@justinh8810]

3:50 in he says "were gonna wire it up like Tesla" and the next words out of his mouth are... " everything I do, I do it differently than everyone else" lmao nice editing. Lol

[@geraldwatkins3543]

I could watch this a hundred more times... I probably will.

[@nazmaakhter5334]

this seems a lot more useful in the wake of the Central winter outages rn

[@mads6103]

You got this video in your recomended

[@giantasparagus]

Only thing being re-used is this episode.. Create some follow ups to these videos! :^)

[@unnamedchannel1237]

Can’t , shit burnt down

[@giantasparagus]

@@unnamedchannel1237 lol really? smh wish I could to start up a channel doing follow up on vice stories.

[@cekpi7]

@@giantasparagus That was a joke. Jehu is on youtube for like 10 years, even though some of his methods are different, he didn't burn anything.

[@giantasparagus]

@@cekpi7 lol either way vice should follow up on stories vs reupload them.

[@justinkelch4837]

Cool idea but scary fire risks short out a lithium cell once

[@ShadowsxEvil]

Had one short on me while changing batteries in my vape in 7 years

[@darrinemerson5990]

More than just a fire look how we obtain lithium

[@Beeeeeeeeeee]

@@darrinemerson5990 That's why we're recycling them...

[@ReaperX3ro]

I too wish to drive like jehu.

[@charleskings-road2087]

You have inspired me with your samba project to look into creating my own power wall.

[@michaelolson571]

These are type of people that we need.

[@chriskeiffer5861]

Badass video but what is the dust mask for while he is soldering?

[@Derpuwolf]

The filter part of the fules. Solder fumes are really hecking toxic.

[@Rendus4]

Producers told him to put it on for effect, he knew it would do nothing to solder fumes

[@xEternal408x]

Super off-topic. But they did a great job with the background music. Mass effect vibes

[@jeffreybeal9383]

That’s right my boi from the 909 I.E. baby

[@satsafe7456]

“It’s the future man!”

[@MikinessAnalog]

Since weight is not really a factor in home power supplies, LiFePO4 is the battery to use because they are a bit cheaper than Li-Ion but heavier due to containing iron.

[@crazysnarfy861]

This sounds great, but aren't we already on the verge of having a world-wide lithium shortage?

[@unnamedchannel1237]

I guess if you are harvesting cells from old batteries. Often cordless drills or laptop battery that seem dead only have one or two failing cells. You can rebuild the battery by replacing the cells or take the good cells and make a new battery bank.

[@CaribouLuu]

Really? I thought they just found a large deposit of lithium down in Mexico

[@HA05GER]

Yeh recycle them. I've got about 40cells just out of a battery bin at my work. I use them for torches powerbanks and also fans while I'm working and that was all gunna be scrapped.

[@averagecommenter4623]

There are already other batteries besides lithium being looked into.

[@rexintonegamers]

" iam not even a engineer " but I do ❤️❤️

[@mauriciorivas8915]

Serio pedo 💨 💨 💨

[@Derpuwolf]

@@mauriciorivas8915 A que te refieres?

[@mauriciorivas8915]

Solo fue un comentario al universo loco

[@mauriciorivas8915]

@@Derpuwolf loco, solo fue un comentario al universo, significa lo voz queras

[@regil93]

Homes with solar panels are really common where Im from. San Pedro Garza Garcia, Mexico.

[@StonkKing42069]

As an investor of tesla/nio/plug/fuel cell.... I approve of this lifestyle 🦾💯🤙🏽🌴

[@mwint1982]

Get a battery spot welder people, dont solder on the cells, "come on man"

[@doms.6701]

I'm sure these people know what they are doing mr random youtube comment guy

[@reptilelord2761]

@@doms.6701 I think the concern is, if he is going to do this a lot, he should invest in a battery spot welder. Soldering takes time to heat up the solder and hence heats up the battery.

[@chibuzo7746]

@@reptilelord2761 i have done many power packs and banks soldering, they are still working. It is not as bad as that if you know what you are doing. With a 100w soldering iron, in 2 to 3 seconds you are done per cell

[@rmedal4594]

@@doms.6701 don't just shutoff your mind and accept something just because you saw it on you tube. mwint1982 is correct. The video shows improper soldering of battery cells.

[@Timboman2000]

@@doms.6701 As someone who professionally assembled battery packs for commercial businesses for at least 4 years I can say that he is ABSOLUTELY correct. The extremely hot sustained temperatures that soldering onto a battery cause can easily break cells AND in the case of Li-Po batteries like are shown in the video can cause them to VIOLENTLY EXPLODE. I cringed every time they showed it, I don't know how this guy hasn't burnt down his house yet...

[@AkayaA7]

JEHU IS THE GOAT! IF HE STARTED A ELECTRIC COMPANY OF ANY KIND HE WOULD LITERALLY OUTSELL TESLA DUDE SITTING ON A GOLD MINE OF INFORMATION I WONDER IF HE KNOWS.

[@brysonfields2284]

I got a 12 volt lead acid battery commercial during this😅🤣🤣🤣

[@thewizzla]

Get your food and energy from non corporate non government sources. More secure not surveilled.

[@micahned]

Works great if you happen to live in Southern California

[@REALchocochan]

lmao imagine not using a spot welder on 18650 cells.

[@shellbournian]

Depends what you trust your hands with. Something about arcing enough voltage into a battery terminal to melt bus bar conjures images in my head of batteries exploding in my face. I've never come close to having an incident soldering to bare cells, but that being said, someone who is not skilled at soldering shouldn't even think about attempting it.

[@popinmo]

@@shellbournian soldering is bad for the battery garcia uses a solder because he believes there batterys are so destroyed it dosnt matter

[@therealchayd]

@@shellbournian Spot welding isn't bad, you do put over 100 amps across the welding electrodes, but it's for a few milliseconds, and over a tiny area, so very little heat finds its way into the cell, soldering on the other hand puts less heat in, but over a much longer period and over a larger surface, plus you have the problem with the battery body dissipating some of the heat, so you have to keep it hot for long enough to allow the solder to flow - that's not going to do a favors to the life or capacity of the cell. I guess it's not so bad if you're parallelling up a ton of old cells and using thin fuse connections to busbars, but for small, high current packs where you need a sturdy connection, spot welding is the way to go. Just my $0.02.

[@rikkyp.3802]

@@therealchayd I agree. But be careful with the word 'heat' in stead of temperature. When we [add heat] to the battery, too much is dangerous. You mean spot welding is higher temperature but requires little time, so low total energy in joules. In the end this adds less heat to the battery. Soldering uses lower temperature but relatively way more time and thus total energy in joules. (So this add more heat).

[@guser436]

@@shellbournian spot welding is how it's done in the industry, how batteries are typically connected together in a pack. Soldering is BY FAR more dangerous

[@jasoncoombs4366]

Elon musks starts sweating

[@BeenTooTired]

If that house catches on fire, oh boy what an explosion it would be

[@doubleglaze7979]

This sounds good to feed my Esport gaming addiction of 47hrs of Hardcore Gfueled Gaming

[@SedDelMar]

So much street cred, I feel vindicated just listening.

[@beco5002]

Bruh I thought the title said *powering my homie with old laptop batteries*

[@-whackd]

If your utility charges higher rates during peak times, you can still benefit from home batteries without solar. You can pull from the grid when it's cheaper and run off your battery during peak.

[@nicobogaard2315]

I am an absolute fan of ‘off-grid’ solutions. The problem I have with nowadays batteries is that production of it requires these rare-earth materials mostly found in third world countries and (for some) produced by slave- and child labour. We do need a replacement for those rare base materials and produce batteries by using more common materials. This, re-using old batteries are of course a good alternative although recycling and rewinning materials is still making babysteps instead of the giant leap needed to keep us healthy and safe.

[@MrRoomba2321]

Can't wait till Graphene doped batteries start hitting the market hard.

[@knowledgetoshare4061]

They take "Other man trash is other man treasure" to the next level

[@JIMI291]

I saw VW and I was like this video is going to be epic

[@noble09]

This is really cool, two questions though: What is the likelihood of the power cells exploding/catching fire/overloaded? What system is he using for cooling the electric car ? & is it effective at cooling in extreme temperatures ?

[@Derpuwolf]

He tests and vets every single sell. He has a setup for it, so it's not this insane job to do.

[@wisico640]

Most batteries have protection on them + you can add secondary layer of protection / sensors in the packs of battery. If built right everything should be fine.

[@eeasq7683]

if he used the same IC for battery management system that the big companies use he is on the safe side (the IC from companies like TI, it has a clear reference design that you can follow and be safe, if you go outside the reference design or have a constrained form factor then then you will need the help of experts to design it safely)

[@-whackd]

Most house fires are caused by cigarettes or come from the kitchen. If you're worried about a house fire, make realistic, statistically minded changes in these areas first. And then learn all you can about how to safely do this project. There are guides online that emphasize safety.

[@wisico640]

@@-whackd exactly, but once a fire is started; a bunch of 18650 in the garage probably ain't too good of a mix 😂

[@robertpalacioz4403]

Just saw this video...............Will be contacting you in the future for advice after buying my house/car...........

[@wallysoberano9598]

My idol jehu garcia.

[@imperialrecker7111]

Get this man a spot welder

[@marcusaplin71]

Imperial Recker or get Vice to make a new piece on him that isn’t nearly half a decade old....

[@warrentoles3127]

Lol. You goin see my lazy ass walkin' and in the dark lolol.

[@firerejack1121]

One short and he gone say bye bye

[@joehardy3215]

Hey brother, what is the best lithium Iron off the grid battery? Battle Born battery?

[@rossmoore2844]

Xbus! The Swiss Army knife of vehicles!!

[@hirokurobane9145]

I need more stuff like this, batteries at homes are just wasting up

[@potassiumchloride6968]

wiring up those 18650 cells with soldering iron! M A N!

[@samguapo4573]

Jehu is my IDOL!!!

[@christopherforker7978]

Where do you get recycled batteries?

[@nostro1940]

0:05 It's only a matter of time before one battery pack explodes

[@Derpuwolf]

Perhaps, but that's why he individually tests and vets each sell, and has many safety mechanisms implemented into his setup.

[@Rendus4]

18650s have so many protections built in, I challenge you to blow one up without using an external fire. Go ahead. Drop it. Charge it to 20 volts. Reverse charge it. Short circuit it. Hammer a nail through it. The only way I've blown these up is by taking a blow torch to them. Read any 18650 data sheet, they all get tested like I mentioned above and they don't blow up.

[@MysteryPringles]

why not put link to his youtube channel? this guy so awesome from the start used laptop battery

[@alaasadek2908]

Bravo from Egypt

[@justinmcgough3958]

Having battery packs to run your house off the grid is really cool, but I'm curious as to his solar panel set up. It's one thing to have the storage but it's another to make sure your not using more energy then the solar panels are delivering, and then you want to make sure your actually filling up those batteries in time for night.

[@jshaw4757]

More batts if your solar is overproviding ...you can store power in charcoal even if you wish

[@blackberuang]

KEEP IT UP MAN!

[@seasong7655]

Nowadays you can really learn anything with the internet

[@redandgoldfan3869]

thumbs up, subscribed

[@xipietotec]

“Powering my home with a massive fire hazard” fixed the title for you.

[@Timboman2000]

@ignas Laurutis ...Ya I don't know if you've ever professionally worked with batteries before, but I have and Li-Po batteries (like the kind he's using) can easily overheat, break, burn, or explode (aka "Venting With Flame" as it's technically known). There is a reason that ACTUAL powerwall systems don't use that particular chemistry of Lithium battery, there are far safer and far more stable alternatives. Combined with the fact that he's soldering directly onto the cell while assembling these tells me that he's definitely not following best practices, so I can only assume there are other potentially fatal faults with his methodology as well.

[@rmkkkk]

Why is this re-uploaded?

[@Derpuwolf]

It was previously uploaded back in 2017 on an other Vice channel.

[@NewbieTetris]

I like his passion and ideas. But soldering batteries is very dangerous, I suggest using a spot welder when connecting those batteries and only solder on the terminal points. This way it would not make the battery hot that might lead to explosion.

[@mikepmena29]

I think it's an awesome idea running off grid and take charge of your own energy needs but far as lithium ion batteries they're becoming a thing of a past but lithium-ion batteries are in use for now far as granite batteries being another feasible source of power

[@chewbaccagaming8260]

I like this guy he is a legend I want see what he does next