Get you up to speed: How your old fave Watermelon Ice vape became a secret weapon on the battlefield | News World

What remains unclear — There is no information on the future sourcing of vapes after the current supplies are depleted.

Repurposed UK vape batteries provide power sources for Ukrainian soldiers

They once littered our pavements and filled the air with clouds of sickly flavoured fumes – but banned British vapes are getting a second life, powering vital devices for frontline defenders in Ukraine.

Since the government outlawed single-use vapes a year ago today, volunteers in a Lviv workshop are repurposing thousands of discarded
e-cigarettes from the UK into battlefield power sources.

Ingenuity is at the forefront of Ukraine’s fightback against the continuing Russian invasion, with cutting-edge Ukrainian drone tech drawing global admiration.

Joining this creative spirit, numerous smaller-scale projects have sprung up to support the ordinary men and women defending their country against brutal Russian attacks.

Most are run by relatives of those risking their lives to repel invaders. But some are organised by an unofficial army of foreign volunteers from the UK, Europe, the US and worldwide, who give their time, funds and skills to support Ukraine’s fight for freedom.

Your old vape could be helping Ukraine win on the battlefield (Picture: Getty)

Sign up for all of the latest stories

Ben Hoerber has been in Ukraine since 2023

One of those volunteers is Ben Hoerber, 35, from Florida, a former teacher who felt supporting Ukraine was the right thing to do.

He says: ‘It makes more sense to be here helping than to pretend everything is normal in the world.’

Ben uses lithium batteries from the vapes to create power banks for frontline soldiers, often used in combat zone trenches.

‘Energy is like food and water on the frontlines – it’s essential for powering the equipment that keeps you alive,’ says Ben, who arrived in Ukraine in 2023.

Before the ban, it was estimated more than five million single-use vapes were thrown away every week in the UK.

In 2022, about 40 tonnes of lithium from disposable vapes were discarded, an amount which could power 5,000 electric vehicles.

Clearly, this untapped energy source could be put to better use than piling up in landfills across the UK.

How does it work?

‘The banned vapes are valuable because they contain rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, even though the device doesn’t have a charging port and is meant to be thrown away,’ explains Ben.

‘We designed a way to put enough batteries together for a power bank, using 50 vape power cells for one bank.’

Vape cases are cracked open, batteries extracted, then quality-checked with a homemade testing system.

‘We might use a small saw if extracting is tricky, but generally all you need is pliers and safety glasses,’ says Ben.

The lithium batteries are helping soldiers on the front lines (Picture: Ben Hoerber and Anca Marin)

Battery cells are soldered together, then wires are attached, running to a chip.

It’s all installed into a 3D printed box, embossed with a resplendent Tryzub symbol (a Ukrainian emblem of resistance). It’s tested, then glued together.

Requests for power banks come via volunteers connected to frontline units or from the units themselves, with Ukrainian volunteer groups sorting the logistics of getting them to the front.

One bank can power two devices at the same time, such as phones, screens, radios, drone batteries or anti-drone detectors. The power lasts for a good few days before it needs recharging.

‘The power banks are saving lives, because soldiers don’t have to run back frequently to recharge equipment, which potentially draws fire. The guys are always very grateful. One group charged their drone antenna system with our bank and sent us a picture – that was exciting!’ says Ben.

The curious alchemy of turning defunct vapes into life-saving power sources happens in a unassuming workshop on a humdrum street somewhere outside the historic centre of Lviv.

Frontline soldiers pictured with the power banks (Picture: Ben Hoerber and Anca Marin)

The city just 70km from the Polish border is a UNESCO World Heritage site with a stunning opera house, fabulous restaurants and a lively café culture.

No wonder it attracts a thriving volunteer community, who are united in wanting to help Ukraine in whatever way they can. It’s this ready supply of helping hands that drew Ben to base himself in Lviv.

The volunteers come and go, some staying for a few days, others a few weeks or much longer. Most seem to fall in love with Lviv.

‘On a good day, we have around eight to 10 volunteers in the workshop, usually from Europe and the US.

‘It takes about 15 minutes to teach someone what we do. I show them how to solder and review their work until it’s up to scratch.

A military man poses with Ben’s power banks (Picture: Ben Hoerber and Anca Marin)

‘It takes a new person about four hours to make one power bank, down to maybe two hours when you’re skilled.

‘But we have a manufacturing process with one person doing a single aspect repetitively, so they get skilled.

‘The UK vapes are great as they’re all the same design, which makes processing them easier,’ he says.

Last month, the workshop team produced 80 power banks, but is hoping to increase to 100 or 120 per month.

A regular volunteer in the workshop is Anca Marin, who helps process the vapes into power banks. But she also plays a crucial role in the overall operation by getting the vapes from the UK, where she lives, to Ukraine.

‘A Ukrainian friend introduced me to Viacheslav Semeniuk at Leeds Ukrainian Community Association, after I read about him using vape batteries to make power banks.

‘I processed a first batch of vapes for them. After that, I was given about 10,000 vapes for Ben’s project. I cut the vapes, remove the batteries, and secure them for transport. Of course, I also recycle the packaging as much as possible.’

How are the vapes shipped to Ukraine?

A soldier receives a delivery of power banks (Picture: Ben Hoerber and Anca Marin)

‘Batteries not in original packaging can be flammable, so you can’t use regular postal services,’ says Anca.

‘They are also quite heavy. So, I found a person who does regular humanitarian aid trips to Ukraine, so I drop them off with that person to be driven to Ukraine.’

Although the dedicated volunteers give their time and work for free, there are, of course, costs associated with production.

‘We have to buy the electronic chip – it’s about 1.50 dollars. Overall, it costs about five dollars for the materials to make one power bank. But a similar 20,000 milliamp-hour power bank would cost close to 50 dollars here in Ukraine,’ says Ben.

But then, there’s the cost of renting the workshop (1,000 dollars per month) and energy costs of about 400 dollars per month.

Set-up equipment, such as the 3D printer, was paid for from Ben’s own pocket. So, how does he manage to keep things going?

The answer is largely through donations via his YouTube channel, plus his organisation has just been granted USA non-profit charitable status, meaning it’s tax-exempt and eligible for grants.

The organisation name, Florida Man For Ukraine Incorporated, is a nod to his home state and a jokey reference to the ‘Florida Man’ internet meme. ‘I left my career as a teacher to care for my mother in Florida for six years.

‘Meanwhile, I worked as a bartender in the evenings and managed to save up a bit. After my mother’s death, I was planning to get away on a trip around Europe in my van.

‘But when the full-scale invasion happened, that changed because I wanted to help Ukraine. I learned the language online before coming, but had no other connections. I started out doing humanitarian runs in my van, then I met people and things went on from there,’ says Ben.

He started making the power banks in 2025 after working on several other projects. About 6,000 UK vapes have been shipped to Lviv so far, with another few thousand to come.

Then, they’ll need another source. But new ideas are always flowing, sometimes over a black coffee in one of Lviv’s chic coffee shops, where Ben goes to sit and think, while scribbling ideas down in his journal.

He also enjoys working out and using yoga to destress, as well as having a beer in the stylish bars of central Lviv.

Ben with a solar panel that provides power for people displaced by Russia’s invasion (Picture: Ben Hoerber and Anca Marin)

Next, he has exciting plans to use hoverboards to make a ground drone to move supplies to the front, so soldiers don’t have to risk their lives doing this. He also wants to use batteries from e-bikes in power banks.

‘I’m always planning for bigger things,’ he says.

‘We had a solar panel donated, so we just set up our first solar station in a settlement for people who have been displaced from their homes by Russia’s invasion.

‘I want to expand production to make more items and better quality ones. I’d love to open up another studio and have more volunteers come to help. More donations would be very useful too!’

Can he ever see himself returning to life in Florida? ‘My future is in Ukraine,’ he says.

‘What’s happening here affects us all; thinking it has no bearing on you is shortsighted. So, this is our time to do something about it. As long as the war is happening, my workshop will be open.’

Comment now

Comments

Add WTX as a Preferred Source on Google

Add as preferred source