Supplier Series : EVE Energy – Batteries Built on Blood, Bullshit, and Broken Promises – Part 2

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Christ, if you thought the first instalment was a gut-punch, strap in because we’re just scratching the surface of this festering wound. In our first article about EVE Energy, we ripped open the lid on EVE Energy’s Chinese labour hell, their Indonesian nickel nightmare, patent wars, and the shoddy cells they’re flogging like premium gear. But fuck me, there’s so much more rot bubbling up that we couldn’t cram it into one piece without it exploding like an overcharged battery. This Chinese juggernaut isn’t just exploiting workers and raping the environment – they’re now tangled in national security nightmares, fresh human rights atrocities, emissions hypocrisy that stinks to high heaven, and a wave of scams preying on their name. And let’s not forget their cosy tie-up with Cummins, that American powerhouse with its fingers deep in US military contracts while bedding down with a firm the Department of Defense has blacklisted. It’s a hypocrisy sandwich, and we’re all choking on it. Outraged? Bloody right you should be. Let’s dive deeper into this cesspool, because the green revolution’s turning into a global shitshow.

The National Security Timebomb: Rogue Devices and US Bans

Picture this: your home’s solar setup or the grid keeping hospitals running, suddenly hacked and shut down by some shadowy prick in Beijing. That’s the nightmare EVE Energy’s helping to script, with their batteries flagged as potential Trojan horses for espionage and sabotage. US lawmakers aren’t pissing about – in February 2025, Senator Rick Scott dropped the Decoupling from Foreign Adversarial Battery Dependence Act, banning the Department of Homeland Security from snapping up batteries from six Chinese firms, EVE included, starting October 2027. Why? Because these bastards could embed “rogue” communication devices – think undocumented cellular radios slipping past firewalls, ready to trigger blackouts or data theft at a whim.

It’s not sci-fi bollocks; Reuters blew the whistle in May 2025 on unexplained gear found in Chinese-made inverters and batteries, capable of crippling power systems. Energy officials have been dissecting this crap for months, and while EVE hasn’t been named in every dodgy device, they’re lumped in with the lot due to ties to the Chinese military and opaque supply chains. The US Department of Energy’s screaming about vulnerabilities that could let adversaries flip the switch on critical infrastructure. And get this – the Department of Defense slapped a similar ban in the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, prohibiting purchases from EVE and mates like CATL and BYD. Minimal impact, EVE whines? Tell that to the utilities ditching Chinese kit, or nations like Lithuania banning it outright.

Now, riffing off the first article’s Cummins connection – that joint venture for US battery plants? Amplify Cell Technologies, where EVE’s the tech partner with a 10 percent stake. Cummins, the engine giant preaching zero-emissions bollocks, has its arse planted firmly in the Pentagon’s pocket. They’ve scored massive DoD contracts – $410 million in 2024 for diesel engines, $347 million in 2023 for Bradley vehicle power, and a slew of generator deals stretching back decades. They’re supplying the US military with kit to keep troops powered, yet here they are, partnering with a firm the DoD deems a security risk. It’s a staggering fuck-you to American safety, where profits trump patriotism. Cummins has history with ethical shortcuts, like those emissions scandals we touched on before – now they’re importing potential backdoors into the grid? Un-fucking-believable.

Tibetan Exploitation: Fresh Frontiers in Forced Labour

We hammered the Uyghur ghosts in our first piece, but EVE’s human rights horror show doesn’t stop at Xinjiang. Hop over to Tibetan regions, and it’s the same grim script: state-imposed forced labour dressed as “poverty alleviation,” displacing indigenous folk and shoving them into exploitative factories. A 2024 report from Globalworks Lund AB nails EVE for operations in these areas, highlighting “salient risks” of repression, forced relocations, and discriminatory work conditions. It’s not subtle – China’s government funnels people into supply chains under duress, and EVE’s due diligence? As laughable as ever, dodging audits and spouting compliance crap while profiting from the misery.

This expands the narrative from instalment one’s broader slavery risks – it’s targeted oppression in Tibet, where cultural erasure meets economic exploitation. Workers face excessive hours, hazardous conditions, and intimidation if they pipe up. EVE claims they’re clean, but why the radio silence on NGO probes? It’s infuriating, a pattern of turning blind eyes while batteries roll off lines stained with suffering. And with Cummins in the mix, that transatlantic partnership starts looking like a conduit for laundering these abuses into American markets. We deserve transparency, not this opaque bollocks.

Emissions Hypocrisy: Greenwashing While Choking on Coal

EVE’s peddling batteries as the saviour of the planet, but their own factories are belching carbon like there’s no tomorrow. A July 2025 Politico Pro analysis calls them out alongside BYD for dragging their feet on switching to clean energy, relying on China’s coal-heavy grids and racking up massive Scope 3 emissions in the supply chain. Advocacy groups are piling on, with EVE bombing sustainability rankings in 2024. They need to accelerate renewables in manufacturing or risk losing Western contracts – but right now, it’s hypocrisy on steroids.

Building on the first article’s Indonesian environmental carnage, this is the internal rot: deforestation and pollution abroad, coal addiction at home. EVE promotes EV glory while their ops undermine the green credentials. No major lawsuits yet, but investors are twitchy, and it’s a scandal waiting to erupt. Tie it back to Cummins – their joint venture promises US-made cells, but with EVE’s tech infused, are we importing that emissions baggage? It’s outrageous, a facade cracking under scrutiny.

Scams and Counterfeits: Profiting from the Rip-Off Artists

Our first instalment shredded EVE’s quality control, with bloated cells and customer nightmares. But now, scammers are hijacking their name to peddle utter shite. In May 2024, DIY solar forums exposed YouTube channel Starmax Energy flogging “EVE-branded” LiFePO4 cells that turned out to be no-name knockoffs – mismatched capacities, crap packaging, and zero refunds. Buyers got stung on Alibaba and beyond, leveraging EVE’s rep to lure punters into fraud.

This isn’t EVE’s direct doing, but it screams weak brand protection in a market flooded with Chinese counterfeits. Echoes those forum gripes from before – rushed production breeds fakes, eroding trust in the DIY and off-grid scenes. It’s a scandal that ties into the broader supply chain rot: abusive conditions lead to corner-cutting, and now scammers feast on the chaos. Cummins partnering with this? Expect more glossed-over garbage infiltrating American grids and trucks. Bloody hell, when will the accountability kick in?

The Endless Rot: Why This Matters More Than Ever

Zoom out from the diseased industry snapshot we told you of last time, and EVE’s scandals are metastasizing. National security threats, Tibetan exploitation, emissions bullshit, and scam waves – it’s a deluge of dodgy dealings that couldn’t fit in one rant. Cummins’ DoD ties versus EVE’s bans? That’s the cherry on this shit sundae, a juxtaposition screaming conflict. We’re not just talking batteries; it’s the soul of the green transition, rigged against security, humanity, and the planet. Time to roar louder, demand audits, bans, and real fucking change before this house of cards collapses. EVE, Cummins – you’re on notice.

Lee Thompson – Founder, The Cummins Accountability Project

Sources

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