Ukrainians strip out Tesla batteries to keep the lights on

In a tiny garage on the outskirts of Kyiv, a group of mechanics pored over the carcass of a wrecked old Tesla, stripping it of parts. But instead of trying to repair the car, the men were busy extracting its battery, hoping to use it to power local businesses and homes.

Their work which can turn a single discarded Tesla into a dozen home battery systems is one of myriad ways in which Ukrainian businesses are responding to the regular blackouts the country has faced since Russia launched a string of attacks on its energy grid earlier this year.

Russia has now knocked out or captured more than half of Ukraine s domestic electricity generating capacity, forcing energy companies to impose rolling nationwide blackouts that have left homes and businesses without electricity for up to 20 hours a day.

Businesses have been forced to adapt. Across Kyiv, diesel generators parked outside shops and cafés rumble into action as soon as power goes down, and many households in the capital plug their appliances into rechargeable battery systems at home.

via www.ft.com

Luke tells me the electricity in Kyiv is on and off. He says they have about 8 hours of electricity per day, not always the same 8 hours. This has made planning for cooking, washing clothes etc. a problem. It will take more than this to get them to flee however. They’ve rented a new apartment in a building that has a bomb shelter, which is a positive development.

Ukraine’s situation is like that of a man attacked by a larger and cynical bully. He’s holding his own because he’s smarter and tougher than his fat, corrupt attacker, but needs help and soon. To his assistance comes another bully, though one less evil than the first. It’s actually in the long term interest of Bully #2 to aid Ukraine. Now the wife of Bully #2 appears on the scene to tell her husband he shouldn’t be wasting his time defending the victim; he should do one of the many things he has in fact neglected. What do you suppose the stance of the victim Ukraine should be on her proposals? Especially if Bully #2 was the one who suggested the victim put himself in the position of being unable to defend itself without help?