This is pretty much terrible news for humanity, especially now that so much of our society completely relies on 18650 batteries. Alas, we called it! The shortage of 18650 batteries is here, and it’s really only beginning. Between the current state of the world, and the ineffective response from basically all parties involved, the inevitable has arrived. Disruptions in the manufacturing process, backlogs of transportation, and shortages of human labor have planted their seeds.
Shortages of 18650 Was Predicted in Mid-2020
Last year, we had heard rumors of the current state of delicate events that have to unfold on the ground on a daily basis just to get the raw materials needed to be input for the manufacturing process of 18650 batteries of any kind. Clearly, the state of things has really just gotten worse since then, and even the batteries that go in our cars to our solar panels are all having major shortages. We were not the only ones who predicted battery shortages, but we specifically called out the 18650 battery type, as it’s the single biggest growing battery in terms of raw demand.
The Exponential Growth, Use, and Reliance on 18650 Batteries
If you have bought any new technological gizmos or gadgets lately, there is a good chance they use this exact type of battery. The entire vaping world alone is nearly 100% reliant on these. There are so many devices that use this battery type, it’s the actual reason for potential battery shortages even if the world wasn’t falling apart due to other reasons. With the added and predicted increase in demand, it coincides dangerously with the reduction in manufacturing and transportation of these essential products.
Manufacturing and Labor Shortage Slows Production of 18650 Batteries
All over the world, countries are seeing populations hiding in their homes and other places trying to stay safe. You can’t blame them! However, as a direct result of this, significant labor shortages are happening in nearly every industry. In America, this is common knowledge, but Americans don’t realize this is also happening on a global scale.
America isn’t the only country experimenting with emergency hand-outs, and the shocking result is still impacted by the predicted growth of demand. The end result is simple! There just aren’t enough people physically mining the raw ingredients out of the ground to be used as the necessary raw input to manufacture or produce the batteries we all rely on now! For some, this may mean a simple toy that a child can’t use, but for others, it can be life or death!
Transportation and Shipping Backlog of 18650 Batteries
The transportation dilemma is one of the few problems that looks like it’s actually getting significantly worse by the day. Every country has its own problems battling the “you know what” but all these problems compound when it comes to transportation. You must understand, transportation isn’t like loading a website on a small internet connection. The data will still come through, just very slowly – it doesn’t get dropped randomly.
Since the nature of transportation means each bottleneck compounds down the process tree of deliveries, everything gets worse exponentially. Now, we see over 70 ships waiting outside the beaches and ports of California desperately waiting to drop off tens of thousands of products to the United States of America. These aren’t just things being made in China. China is the hub that everything in Asia goes through before being shipped to America, usually on one of their large transport rigs.
The Solution To The Shortage of Batteries
Money. Yes, money. You can get what you need, but you will be paying for it. Already you can find people selling these batteries on websites like eBay, but you will pay a steep price for it. You are essentially paying a tax, similar to what is found on other limited products – like graphics cards. These sellers are stockpiling the batteries they get, and only sell them at a price. These resellers are making the problem every worse because, after all the previous problems we mentioned above, these guys come in and scalp their own share of the batteries.
If you really are in need of these batteries, even in a shortage, you can still get them. At the end of the day, these are essential products needed for countless things in our modern and great society. After all the chaos, some things are more predictable than others, and some people are better at predicting them than others – but one thing remains true! We do live in a society.
Should You Still Buy Batteries Even During a Shortage?
Yes, absolutely. They are freaking batteries. They are going to be worth their weight in gold, especially if they are rechargeable. As the world continues growing, it still runs on energy, and that’s where these batteries come in. As we said, part of the reason there is even a shortage is simply because supply cannot meet demand. It doesn’t matter if the supply is impacted by the lack of workers or other environmental impacts or policies. The end result is we as a species can’t seem to make enough batteries to feed the market properly. This will only result in scalpers making money reselling these batteries, or people simply had to find totally different solutions that won’t rely on batteries. Either way, you will be happy you got in line now and waited for your turn for your batteries to arrive.
Pre-Ordering Batteries: Yes, You Absolutely Should Do This Right Now
Some websites will give you the option to pre-order batteries, and they will deliver the batteries to you as they arrive off the manufacturing plant. If you find a way to do this, you should absolutely still get in this line. At least you won’t totally be wasting your time. Either way, when you pre-order things like this, you can always cancel at the last second. Simultaneously, you might not even have to put your money upfront to get your spot in the line. Once this idea starts to spread, thousands of people will put their name in the slot just for the chance to get a few extra batteries when the times come, especially if the shortage only grows worse and worse. You’ll thank us for telling you this all now.
What Are The Most Likely Kind of Batteries That Are Unavailable Already?
While not all batteries are sold out, some already are. You can already find vendors being unable to sell 18650 batteries and certain car and boat batteries. At the same time, solar panel batteries, or at least the bundle-connected batteries that ship with pre-arranged products are also sold out.
This is especially painful for environmentally conscious people who are simply trying to turn their house into an eco-friendly planet-loving habitat! Now, they will have to violate their precious religion and resort to the power line connected to the government, for at least as long as that runs! Hopefully, they are reading this article and end up pre-ordering their batteries for their solar panels. Large, industrial, solar-style batteries are amongst the most common type to pre-order anyway, as they are often made and sold in bulk. This is because companies will resell them as packaged goods for the product that they manufacture that relies on it, such as solar batteries.
This may soon be true for ATVs and small camper vehicles. They can technically connect to similar style batteries, but they aren’t made for such high bursts of input and output of raw power. Solar batteries are made to be like the turtle, in comparison to the rabbit for a vehicle.
Bonus Tip: You Can Buy and Disassemble Other Batteries Types to Get Raw 18650’s Out Of Them!
Congratulations! You made it this far, now we will give you our best advice yet! Many batteries are actually just protective shells that are wrapped around pre-soldering 18650 batteries! That’s right, you can buy specific kinds of batteries, and with some serious elbow grease, get the packaging off and reveal the true value! You will need some equipment, such as soldering and de-soldering gear and related items. However, once you learn how to de-solder batteries and resolder them, you can basically create the batteries you need for most items! This won’t be true for very low-power, low-wattage items that will get fried from the raw output of amperes from 18650 batteries, but they can handle and be merged for serious power for things like boats, cars, and golf carts!