Supplier Series : EVE Energy – Batteries Built on Blood, Bullshit, and Broken Promises

By /

Fuck me, if the green revolution isn’t just another corporate circle-jerk dressed up in eco-friendly wrapping. Here we have EVE Energy, this shiny Chinese battery behemoth pumping out lithium cells for everything from your fancy electric car to the grid that’s supposed to save the planet. But peel back the layers, and it’s a festering mess of human misery, environmental rape, and the kind of ethical shortcuts that make you want to smash your fist through a wall. These bastards are knee-deep in scandals that stretch from the sweat-soaked factories of China to the polluted hellholes of Indonesian nickel mines. And get this – they’re cosy suppliers to Cummins, that American engine giant now dipping its toes into the EV pool. Is this just another link in the Cummins chain of dodgy dealings? You bet your arse it is, following the likes of their past energy fiascos where corners were cut and regulators looked the other way. It’s a pattern, folks – big players preaching sustainability while shitting on the little guy.

I’ve been poking around the dirt on EVE, and it’s grim. This isn’t some polished PR spin; it’s the raw truth from reports, lawsuits, and the screams of workers buried under the hype. They’re not just making batteries – they’re powering a system that’s rigged against the vulnerable. Outraged? You should be. Let’s tear this apart, piece by filthy piece.

The Chinese Labour Hell: Forced Work and Uyghur Ghosts

Start in China, where EVE’s factories churn out those oh-so-vital lithium cells. But behind the high-tech facade? A nightmare of human rights abuses that’d make your stomach turn. Reports link EVE to state-imposed forced labour, including ties to the Uyghur genocide in Xinjiang. Yeah, you heard that right – components potentially laced with the sweat of oppressed minorities, funneled through a system where the government strong-arms people into factories under the guise of “poverty alleviation.” EVE spouts a zero-tolerance policy, but come on, that’s bollocks when independent audits flag “salient risks” of discrimination, excessive hours, and outright exploitation. They’ve got operations in regions rife with this shit, and their due diligence? Laughable at best, non-existent at worst.

And it’s not just Uyghurs – broader labour violations plague their plants. Workers clocking insane overtime, safety protocols treated like suggestions, and a culture where speaking up gets you fucked. Amnesty International slammed EVE in a 2024 ranking for piss-poor responses to these issues, scoring them rock bottom alongside other EV giants. They’re part of a supply chain where modern slavery isn’t a bug; it’s a feature. EVE responds with canned statements about adhering to laws, but that’s just corporate wankery. If they’re so clean, why dodge NGO invitations to explain themselves? It’s outrageous – these pricks profit billions while people suffer in silence.

Indonesian Nickel Nightmare: Poisoned Lands and Crushed Lives

Now hop over to Indonesia, where EVE’s got a 17% stake in PT Huayu Nickel Cobalt at the Weda Bay Industrial Park. Sounds innocuous? Bullshit. This place is a toxic wasteland, pumping out nickel and cobalt for EVE’s batteries while screwing over indigenous communities and workers alike. Reports detail forced evictions, where locals get booted from their ancestral lands with jack shit in compensation. Then there’s the environmental carnage – deforestation turning rainforests into barren pits, water pollution making rivers undrinkable, and air so thick with smelter fumes it chokes kids into respiratory hell.

Workers? They’re the real casualties – low wages that barely cover basics, overtime that’s mandatory or else, and safety measures? Forget it. Intimidation keeps mouths shut, while health issues pile up from the dust and chemicals. This is the dirty underbelly of the EV boom, where Indonesia’s nickel rush (over half the world’s supply) fuels EVE’s growth at the cost of human dignity. And with the US Department of Labor flagging Indonesian nickel for forced labour in 2024, how the hell is EVE still skating by? It’s infuriating – they’re greenwashing exploitation while the planet and its people pay the price.

Patent Wars and Shady Dealings: Stealing Tech Like It’s Nothing

Even in the boardrooms, EVE can’t play clean. Remember the global slugfest with German battery firm VARTA Microbattery? From 2020 to 2023, VARTA hauled EVE into courts across the US, Germany, and beyond, accusing them of ripping off seven patents on lithium-ion tech. We’re talking lawsuits in Texas, California – the works. EVE fought back with countersuits and reviews, but it reeks of cut-throat tactics in a hyper-competitive industry. They settled in October 2023, dropping claims and likely cross-licensing, but why the hell did it escalate to that? It’s a classic tale of Chinese firms accused of IP theft, eroding trust and innovation.

This isn’t isolated – it’s part of EVE’s aggressive expansion, stepping on toes to dominate. And tying back to Cummins? Their joint venture with EVE for US battery plants screams hypocrisy. Cummins has its own history of ethical lapses, like those massive emissions scandals. Pairing with EVE? Just another chapter in a book of “alternative ethics” where profits trump principles.

Defective Goods and Customer Screws: Quality? What Quality?

On the product side, EVE’s reputation is in the shitter among real users. Forums are littered with complaints about their LiFePO4 cells – those 280Ah beasts arriving bloated, dented, or straight-up defective. Bought from Alibaba? Good luck – shoddy packaging means cells get battered in transit, with scratches, imbalances, and capacity shortfalls that fuck your solar setup or off-grid dreams. One punter in 2022 got 11 out of 16 cells knackered and had to battle for a refund. EVE claims parts-per-billion defect rates, but that’s horseshit when DIY communities suspect they’re flogging B-grade crap as premium.

It’s not just isolated gripes – industry analyses highlight swelling issues in prismatic cells, and with EVE pushing massive 600Ah+ units for energy storage, who’s to say the problems won’t scale? Customers feel conned, and rightly so. This ties into the broader supply chain rot; rushed production in abusive conditions breeds crap quality. EVE’s partnership with Cummins? Expect more of this glossed-over garbage in American trucks and grids.

The Bigger Picture: Modern Slavery’s Green Facade

Zoom out, and EVE’s scandals are symptoms of a diseased industry. Amnesty and others peg them for inadequate oversight on transition minerals like nickel and cobalt, where child labour, environmental harm, and slavery run rampant. Over 197 allegations in 2023 alone, with EVE cited in contexts like Australian projects despite the red flags. Their codes of conduct? Window dressing – prohibitions on forced labour ring hollow when supply chains are opaque and audits superficial.

Australia’s big battery push? Tainted by EVE’s modern slavery risks. And with Cummins in the mix, it’s a transatlantic fuck-you to ethics. This “Cummins ecosystem” – from past overbilling scandals to now bedding down with EVE – shows a lineage of bending rules for bucks. We deserve better than batteries built on broken backs. Time to call these cunts out and demand real change, before the green dream turns into a global nightmare.

Lee Thompson – Founder, The Cummins Accountability Project

Sources

Scroll to Top