iLikeBatteries

The Weekly Podcast that explores the world of batteries

Your Hosts:
Jeff Lynch and Mike Muldoon

Episode 114: Torturing Cells Until They Talk with Sergio Mendoza (Part 1 of 3)

Jeff and Mike welcome certified lithium-ion battery expert, PhD in Mechanical Engineering, and all around great guy, Sergio Mendoza. In this first part of a three part series, Sergio starts off with some battery basics, and then we dig into battery manufacturing and testing, and what we can expect in the future.

Episode 113: A Long, Casual Drive with Lots of Charging in the Middle

Mike and Jeff dig into the BIN. A Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo on Pike's Peak, Apple Support article about battery temperature, Mike found another Mac battery app. Mike udpates us on the progress of the battery shed.

Episode 112: Ask Questions Later - Scott Case of Recurrent Auto (2 of 2)

Jeff and Mike are honored to host Scott Case, Co-Founder and CEO of Recurrent Auto. By providing more transparency and confidence in pre-owned electric car transactions, Recurrent's mission is to accelerate the overall adoption of electric vehicles. Today the health of an electric vehicle battery is a black box. Recurrent is working to change that by collaborating with thousands of EV drivers and introducing advanced machine learning.

www.recurrentauto.com

Episode 111: Wanderings in the Tropical Rain Forest - Scott Case of Recurrent Auto
(1 of 2)

Mike and Jeff are honored to host Scott Case, Co-Founder and CEO of Recurrent Auto. By providing more transparency and confidence in pre-owned electric car transactions, Recurrent's mission is to accelerate the overall adoption of electric vehicles. Today the health of an electric vehicle battery is a black box. Recurrent is working to change that by collaborating with thousands of EV drivers and introducing advanced machine learning.

www.recurrentauto.com

Episode 110: Some Don't Like It Hot

Jeff and Mike dive into conditions that can influence the longevity of your battery, especially when it comes to EVs. Batteries in the news.

109: Where Did My Lithium Go?

Mike and Jeff dive DEEP into battery degradation by first explaining some battery basics, then going into the details of both cyclic and calendar aging of lithium ion batteries. Mike has a "Cold Things Found" entry, and there was "not your average speed bump" at Jeff's house.

Episode 108: Big Batteries On Campus: Ian Jones of Sunbolt, Part 2 of 2

Jeff and Mike host entrepreneur and founder of Sunbolt, Ian Jones. In the devastating aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, Ian Jones watched as over 8 million homes lost power in 17 states. With thousands of people draining their car batteries to charge their phones, he instinctively recognized the need for an off-grid solution that would provide electricity during major power outages. He founded Sunbolt to create the solution. Sunbolt is the leading manufacturer for solar powered charging solutions, including workstations, tables, and stand-up charging stations.

https://gosunbolt.com/

Episode 107: Not That Bolt - Ian Jones of Sunbolt, Part 1

Mike and Jeff host entrepreneur and founder of Sunbolt, Ian Jones. In the devastating aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, Ian Jones watched as over 8 million homes lost power in 17 states. With thousands of people draining their car batteries to charge their phones, he instinctively recognized the need for an off-grid solution that would provide electricity during major power outages. He founded Sunbolt to create the solution. Sunbolt is the leading manufacturer for solar powered charging solutions, including workstations, tables, and stand-up charging stations.

https://gosunbolt.com/

Episode 102: Jim Gregory and the PedalPC (Part 2 of 2)

Jeff and Mike conclude their conversation with Jim Gregory of PedalPC.com. Jim has been powering his laptop, internet (modem + router), and web server for the last 10 years using a custom rig that he designed, built, and evolved himself. In this episode we explore the origin story and get into the details of his amazing setup. Head on over to PedalPC.com to see the LIVE battery status!

www.pedalpc.com

Episode 101: Jim Gregory and the PedalPC (Part 1 of 2)

Mike and Jeff host Jim Gregory of PedalPC.com. Jim has been powering his laptop, internet (modem + router), and web server for the last 10 years using a custom rig that he designed, built, and evolved himself. In this episode we explore the origin story and get into the details of his amazing setup. Head on over to PedalPC.com to see the LIVE battery status!

www.pedalpc.com

Episode 100 - Finally Charged to 100

Jeff and Mike are grateful to have reached episode 100 and reflect on making it to this point. Listen to hear about show statistics, and how we produce the podcast. Then we have a quick discussion of battery costs and what we're looking forward to. And plenty of thanks!

Episode 84 - Better, Smarter, & Safer Batteries with Titan Advanced Energy Solutions

Jeff and Mike had the distinct pleasure to spend some time at the headquarters of Titan Advanced Energy Solutions on the waterfront in Salem, Massachusetts. We received an incredible tour (thanks Jeff Kowalski), and then sat down with Founder and CEO, Shawn Murphy, for a journey you will not want to miss. This is part 1 of 2 (or maybe 3?) episodes.

Episode 83 - Batteries that Bounce

Mike and Jeff discuss different ways to test your batteries, including one unique way that involves nothing more than a table top and gravity.

Episode 82 - You Sank My SUB-marine!

Jeff and Mike dive deeper into battery recycling, especially Single Use Batteries (SUBs). Should there be a deposit on single use cells? They also touch on battery safety.

Episode 81 - Recycling Soapbox

Mike and Jeff chat about some leaking alkaline batteries that Jeff came across, and then they get on their soapboxes and talk about battery recycling. Much more to come on that!

Episode 80 - Old Friends and Potatoes

Jeff and Mike re-visit the current offerings of some of their previous guests (FYI: powerful stuff!). Jeff is compelled to correct Mike on a "po-tay-toe" vs "po-tah-toe" thing.

Episode 79 - Batteries and Water, Don't Mix!

Mike and Jeff discuss battery safety and start learning about what to do in the case of a thermal event. Jeff compares "fuel" costs of his Cayman with a Taycan (and other EVs).

Episode 78 - Mini-UPS and New Eero Woes - We Know Jack

Jeff shares with Mike the details of his latest home WiFi and mini-UPS adventure. Jeff learns an interesting tidbit about his M1 MacBook Air's power draw. We respond to a listener's twitter post.

Episode 77 - When Your Batteries Need to Rest

Mike and Jeff explore battery capacity loss during longer term storage, and what it takes for batteries to fly.

Episode 76 - ICE, ICE, BEV-y

Jeff and Mike talk about Father's Day, and then get into some car-related batteries in the news as well as a discussion about different ways to compare BEV's. Mini-UPS, revisited.

Episode 75 - 80 is the New 100

Matt Lamontangne makes his second "appearance" on the show and helps Mike and Jeff answer some listener questions about EV batteries.

Episode 74 - Field Trip Follow-Up

Mike tells Jeff about his visit to see Matt Lamontangne at Leo & Son's. A new segment in the making? Is anyone interested in an iLikeBatteries YouTube channel?

Episode 73 - Sometimes We're a Little Cooler

With the arrival of Summer, Mike and Jeff see what they can discover about battery powered coolers, refrigerators, and freezers. Some of them are definitely cooler than others.

Episode 72 - USB Plus!

Jeff and Mike dig deep into the origins of the Universal Serial Bus and how it relates to data transfer and power delivery.

How much can U charge with our USB?

Episode 71 - The EV Crossover Show Part 2

Part 2 of Jeff and Mike's coversation with YouTube creators and podcast hosts Alex Sibila and Brandan Boggs. In this episide we get to know a little bit more about Alex's Model 3 and Brandan's Bolt. They both have stared range anxiety in the face...listen to see how that turned out.

Episode 70 - The EV Crossover Show

Jeff and Mike host Alex Sibila and Brandan Boggs to discuss all things EV. Alex and Brandan are electric vehicle enthusiasts who share a passion for education and content production. They each run an EV-focused YouTube channel, and host a new podcast together called Living Electric. We had so much fun chatting that Part 2 will drop next week.

Episode 69 - Happy Little Batteries

Mike and Jeff touch on batteries both large and small in this episode. We talk about Porsche's battery aspirations, the NEEAA.org meetup that Jeff attended, repurposing and recycling all types of batteries, and the A23 and how that might lead you to wanting a talking Bob Ross bobblehead.

Episode 68 - Experts in Power

Jeff and Mike host Bryan Bautista of ExpertPower to discuss their numerous product offerings in the battery space. We talk about their replacement batteries, and mid-sized and large power stations.

Episode 67 - Avoiding Thermal Events with Matt Lamontagne

Mike and Jeff host Matt Lamontagne from Leo & Sons Auto Repair on South Broadway in Lawrence, MA. Matt takes us on a Hybrid and EV journey from a side we don't often see: out of warranty repair and maintenance. This is a fun episide and we plan to invite Matt back again in the future. Enjoy!

Matt is an ASE Certified Master Technician and holds L1 (Automotive) and L3 (Hybrid) Advanced Level ASE Certifications. Matt specializes in diagnosing and repairing hybrid and electric vehicles and is also holds a Master Hybrid Technician certification by Automotive Career Development Center.

Episode 66 - ICE cold truth of EV shopping

Jeff and Mike discover that most car shopping sites aren't yet up to the task of EV shopping. Jeff has a quick capacity update on his Energizer AAA's.

Episode 65 - Why the Y, Brandon? - Part 2 of 2

Jeff and Mike wrap up their conversation with Brandon Barba, a co-worker of Jeff's who just acquired a Model Y in Massachusetts. In part 2, we discuss charging, range anxiety, and mattresses.

Episode 64 - Why the Y, Brandon? - Part 1 of 2

Jeff and Mike host Brandon Barba, a co-worker of Jeff's who just acquired a Model Y in Massachusetts. In part 1 we explore Brandon's previous vehicle, his choice of the Model Y, and the purchase process.

Episode 63 - It is ok to be blue, maybe you'll find your sanctuary

Mike and Jeff discuss a better way to talk about EV range and do an off the cuff comparison of some whole house auxiliary battery systems. Jeff offers a quick take on "unboxing" of the Pale Blue Earth AA, 9V and D cells.

Episode 62 - Every Which Way But Loose

Jeff and Mike tie up some loose ends. Jeff "completes" his UPS journey. Heavy hearts are bad. How about an SSB? The Double Whammy. Can your Tile be a retriever retriever?

Episode 61 - Mr. Wind and the Unexpected Test

Mike and Jeff record the episode while Jeff is running on a generator. Does Jeff's internet survive a power outage? More on purchases of power stations, and a powerful thing discussed.

Episode 60 - Thank You for the Unplug

Jeff and Mike discuss the near completion of Jeff's UPS journey. But there's an issue, so they have to re-review some of their previous assumptions. TL;DL: Read the manual BEFORE you buy.

Episode 59 - Those Battery Guys
Will "Say Anything"

The power station and the Mini UPS arrive, but there are issues. Batteries in the News segment explores phasing out of ICE vehicles. Powerful Stuff Found.

Episode 58 - UPS Updates:
Discovery of the Mini UPS

Jeff updates Mike on the progress of his UPS setup. A power station has been ordered and Jeff discovers the Mini UPS, which looks to be the perfect solution for what he needs.

Episode 57 - Jeff's UPS
The Traditional Approach

Mike and Jeff explore more traditional UPS options for Jeff's home setup. As you will hear, there are A LOT of options to sort through.

Episode 56 - Jeff's UPS
In Which We Consider Power Stations

Jeff and Mike explore the possibility of using a portable power station as part of a UPS-style backup system for Jeff's home office setup. The results may surprise you.

Episode 55 - Pale Blue Earth (Part 2 of 2)

Mike and Jeff continue their interview with Tom Bishop, co-founder of Pale Blue Earth. Tom shares his experience with batteries and how Pale Blue gives 1% and more back for the planet

Episode 54 - Pale Blue Earth (Part 1 of 2)

Jeff and Mike host Tom Bishop, co-founder of Pale Blue Earth. Pale Blue is focused on creating a better future by leveraging technology, innovation, and inspired product creation to greatly improve our utilization of energy and resources and greatly reduce the amount of waste we all produce.

Episode 53 - UPS and downs

In section one of this episode, Mike and Jeff begin exploring Jeff's quest for the best Uninterruptible Power Supply for his home setup. Section two has some surprises, including, believe it or not, battery powered pallet jacks?

Episode 52 - Throwing Some Snow Around

Jeff and Mike review some battery powered tools for snow removal and cleanup. Please ignore the intermittent background noise of a tile saw, Jeff is having some work done in an adjascent room.

Episode 51 - Lion Energy - Part 1 of 2

Mike and Jeff host David Whitlock of Lion Energy. Part 2 of our discussion and some hot info on "the sanctuary" coming soon

Episode 50 - The Gift

Happy Holidays from iLikeBatteries! In this special episode, Jeff and Mike discuss how they got started with the podcast, some behind the scenes details about the show and some things they are thankful for over the year

Episode 49 - Lion Energy - Part 1 of 2

Mike and Jeff host David Whitlock of Lion Energy. We had a lot to talk about so we're splitting this into two episodes. Enjoy.

Episode 48 - Fully Charged for the Holidays

Jeff and Mike follow up on Black Friday deals as we prepare for the holiday gift giving season. They explore gifts under $25, under $100 and under $500. Some nice surprises are unwrapped.

Episode 47 - Bottoms Up!

Mike and Jeff round out the heated clothing episodes discussing heated pants.

Powerful Deals 01 - Lion Energy

Mike and Jeff interviewed David Whitlock of Lion Energy today. Lion Energy launched their 12 days of Christmas event today and we didn't want you to miss out.Visit www.LionEnergy.com for more details. Enjoy these Powerful Deals!

Episode 46 - Make a Wish!

Mike and Jeff share their holiday wish lists, including some Black Friday deals you might want to consider. Gifts always welcome.

Episode 45 - The Rabbit Hole

Jeff and Mike explore a battery machine learning journey Jeff went on last week as it relates to a possible future version of FruitJuice.

Episode 44 - Beans and Leaves

Jeff and Mike wake up to the idea of battery powered mugs for coffee, tea and other hot and cold "beverages".

Episode 43 - Hot Dogs?

Mike and Jeff take on the "accessories" category of battery powered heated "clothing". Stay warm out there!

Episode 42: Jackets, Vests, and Base Layers, Oh My!

Jeff and Mike survey the options for keeping your core warm with heated jackets, vests and base layers. And More!

Episode 41 - Putting some Soles into your Shoes

Mike and Jeff investigate, in close to real-time, battery-powered accessories to keep your feet warm.

Episode 40 -
Pandora's Glove Box

Jeff and Mike attempt to get a handle on the myriad of options in the heated glove market.

Episode 39 - Electric Winter

As cooler weather depends upon New England, Mike and Jeff give an overview of a product segment they recently discovered that they believe you'll be hot for. Layering up for future episodes.Powered by Next Episode

Episode 38
Battery Day Commentary

Mike and Jeff react to Tesla's Battery Day announcements.Mike and Jeff react to Tesla's Battery Day announcements.

Episode 37 Chi-Chi-USB? (or is that Qi-Qi-USB?)

Jeff fills Mike in on the latest with his battery case builds and other purchases. They discuss some UPS options for Jeff's internet setup.

Episode 36
All Charged Up

Jeff and Mike expand upon a recent Twitter thread to dive into "chargers" and break down what they are and the many different types of chargers that are around. #NotACarShow

Episode 35 - Adventures in Battery Pack Land

Jeff discusses the current status of his recent battery pack parts acquisitions. Mike updates us on his shed.

Episode 34
Will You Be Our (Rock) Pals?

Jeff and Mike host Lily and Mia from ROCKPALS who tell us about their battery (and non-battery) powered products for outdoor enthusiasts!

Episode 33 - Go Big or Go Home

Do you like bigger batteries?

Mike and Jeff review 4 different power stations that are greater than 2000 Watt hours.

Episode 32 - Jeff Goes Shopping

Jeff shares his recent battery container shopping experiences with Mike; and why you won't hear about it for quite some time.

Episode 31 - Dave Nanian Part 2

Part 2 of our discussion with Dave Nanian as we cover some specific differences in user experience between the Model S and the Taycan. Also, charging infrastructure and the future.

Episode 30 - Dave Nanian Part 1

Jeff and Mike host special guest Dave Nanian of Shirt Pocket software as Dave shares his electric vehicle story. We talk about Tesla Model S, BMW i3 and Porsche Taycan.

Episode 29 - Portable Power Stations

Mike and Jeff break down a handful of 500 Watt portable power stations, discussing features and options and which one might be the best for you.

Episode 28 - Finding your Qi

Jeff and Mike close the gap on inductive charging.

We break down the history of the Qi charger

Episode 27 - Battery Recovery Mode

Jeff had some non-charging rechargeable batteries, buys some toys to diagnose the issues and has a surprising result. Mike changes a car battery.

Episode 26

Jeff and Mike discuss current battery events (pun intended).

They are out of this world (although in the same solar system)

Episode 25

Mike and Jeff review a number of battery packs and talk about price per milliamp-hour (among other things).

Episode 24

The 18650 battery is in more places than you know. Jeff and Mike explore this popular lithium-ion cell.

Episode 23

Mike and Jeff talk about inverters and how they relate to batteries.

Do you have the correct rating or is there too much noise in your signal?

Episode 22

Have you ever wondered what light temperature was ideal for when you're eating breakfast? Mike and Jeff didn't know this was a thing until this episode.

Episode 21

Special guest Gregory Adams from Nature's Generator joins Mike and Jeff to discuss their line of solar and wind powered generator/portable power centers.

Episode 20

Mike and Jeff speak with Charlie Blair, Co-Founder and General Manager at Gravitricity, a novel energy storage solution company. All the way from Edinburgh!

Gravitricity

Charlie Blair

Episode 19

Mike and Jeff explore things surrounding charging items in your car, and alternate between calling it an outlet and a socket. Which is your preference?

Episode 18

Mike and Jeff speak with Shaun Pirie, Product Design Manager with Deciwatt https://deciwatt.global about their unique approach to product design and the sometimes extreme constraints under which their products must perform.

The Gravity Light

Shaun Pirie with

The NowLight

Episode 17

Mike and Jeff with some follow-ups to last week's episode. Batteries in the news. Battery powered lawn equipment and why Jeff needs to go shopping.

Episode 16

Gravity Powered Batteries?

Mike and Jeff get weighed down with the notion of the gravity battery and discuss their potential. Also, a brief batteries in the news segment. Plus a Gravity Light?

Episode 15

Batteries in the News. Mike has a vision, about a shed. We dedicate some air to battery powered cooling devices.

Episode 14

Mike and Jeff chat about eBikes and muse about what Tesla might be announcing next week.

Episode 13

Jeff and Mike offer up suggestions for how to properly dispose of your spent batteries, and they discover the Oxford Electric Bell.

Also, batteries in the news.

Episode 12

Mike and Jeff dig into Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS) and why you might want to consider getting one if you don't already own one.

Episode 11

Our apologies for a technical issue that resulted in us losing our recording for this week. We'll be back next week with a full show.

We dug into the following articles:

Solid State Batteries; Best Portable Chargers/Power BanksSolar Energy System uses Aluminum to Store EnergyThanks for your patience.

Send us questions at: power@ilikebatteries.com

Episode 10

Jeff and Mike continue their discussion of electric vehicles (EVs) and dig into lithium mining.

Episode 9

Mike and Jeff scratch the surface of battery-powered vehicles; including a little bit of history.

Episode 8

Goal Zero Part 2

We finish our talk with Bill Harmon

General Manager of Goal Zero

about the future of batteries and Goal Zero products to come.

Episode 7

Goal Zero Part 1

We talk with Bill Harmon

General Manager of Goal Zero

about the company, batteries

and other fun stuff like bikes

Episode 6

Don't be the one to close the Loop

Good safety Tips

Types of Chargers; USB 2; USB C

Episode 5

Jeff Goes Skiing

How Many Newtons in a Fig Newton

We talk the physics of Power

Episode 4

Giggy Watts

What is a Watt Hour?

We also talk Gigawatts?

Episode 3

Try to Contain Yourself

Jeff replaces his car battery

Mike and Jeff Talk A;AA;AA

Episode 2

Set your VCR!

We talk Ohms Law

Volts; Current and Ohms

Episode 1

Thank you Ben Franklin

The history of the battery... and more!