How electric vehicle batteries are built, where their materials come from and what happens when they fail.

Electric vehicles are an increasingly familiar sight on our roads, helping us move away from fossil fuels. But what happens when these batteries start to fail?

These vehicles are powered by lithium-ion battery packs made up of many individual battery cells. However, in many current designs, if a small number of cells fail, it can be hard to repair the battery pack by simply replacing the affected parts.

So, what does this mean for the environment?

In this hands-on Curious workshop, explore what electric vehicle batteries are made from, where those materials come from, and how better battery design could make repair and reuse easier in the future.

What you’ll do

Build: Working with large 3D printed batteries, see how batteries are assembled in electric vehicle packs.

Map: Using a world map and tokens, trace the journey of battery and pack materials such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, graphite, their reserves and why supply and sustainability matters today.

Bust up: Finally, try a short, timed repair challenge, comparing a “sealed” pack design with a new repair-friendly design.

No prior knowledge is needed. The workshop is designed for curious minds of all backgrounds and uses hands-on activities in small groups to explore the future of battery technology and its environmental impact.

Important points to note

This event is suitable for age 16+

Event format: This event is a workshop and may involve some audience interaction. This could involve group activities, individual activities, quizzes or hands-on activities.

Filming: Photography may take place at this event. Please let a member of the RSE Public Engagement team know if you do not want to be photographed.

SPEAKER

Amer Syed

Senior Lecturer in Design, Institute for Materials and Processes, The University of Edinburgh

Amer is a Senior Lecturer within the Institute for Materials and Processes, School of Engineering at the University of Edinburgh. He is a material scientist with interests in how materials behave, deform and fail and this behaviour at microscale links with the deformation and damage of large structures. As part of Royal Society of Edinburgh funded project titled To B or not to B: The dilemma of reusable battery packs Amer is trying to address the question: how can the materials and manufacturing process of Electric Vehicles battery packs can be designed to make them easy to repair and extend operational life to reduce waste.

About the Curious festival

The RSE’s free Curious festival of knowledge is back, from Saturday 5 − Sunday 13 September 2026!

Curious is Scotland’s annual festival of knowledge. Across its seven-year history, Curious has welcomed over 10,000 attendees into its yearly programme of talks, workshops, discussions and exhibitions – all covering different topics and subject areas. There’s no need for you to have any prior specialist knowledge before coming along, just bring your curious self! With plenty of events both in person and online, you can take part from anywhere.

You can check out the full programme of events here.

Accessibility

We aim to make events as accessible as possible. If you have any accessibility requirements or have any questions related to how we can support this event, please contact curious@theRSE.org.uk. Accessibility information for the RSE building can be found on our website.

Step-free access: Ramped access for visitors is available via 26 George Street through Lakeland. Upon arrival, please call 0131 240 5000 and a member of staff will meet you and guide you to the event. Please note that the entrance ramp has a steep gradient (1:12).

Main lift: The lift’s door has a width of 79cm and a depth of 143cm. Please note, that access to the lift is limited by a narrow 77cm width corridor. You can find further details and images of the lift on our website.

Wheelchair spaces: If you would like to book a space as a wheelchair user, please select the ticket type 'wheelchair space ticket' during the booking process. If this is sold out, please contact the Curious team on curious@therse.org.uk.

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Please note that any personal data that is submitted to the RSE will be stored and processed in accordance with the RSE’s Privacy Policy. We will only use mobile numbers provided to contact you in the event of a cancellation.

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Description supplied by the event organiser.