A US YouTuber has taken DIY science to an extreme by wiring together 400 car batteries to unleash controlled blasts of electricity capable of bending and vaporizing metal. The experiment, published on YouTube, showcases what happens when massive current levels are unleashed in a carefully managed setup.
The creator, known online as Styropyro, documented the full build and testing process in a recent video. A chemist by profession and known for building high-powered lasers, he set out to demonstrate just how much sustained current traditional car batteries can deliver when combined at scale.
The setup was anything but simple. With 400 batteries capable of producing more than 160,000 amps, he needed to engineer a custom switching system robust enough to handle the load. Commercial switches were not sufficient, so he built a massive mechanical switch using more than 1,000 pounds of copper integrated with modified log splitters to safely connect and disconnect the circuit.
Rather than using capacitors, which are often associated with rapid high-current discharges, Styropyro chose car batteries because of their ability to sustain enormous current over longer durations. While capacitors can release powerful bursts, he explained that batteries can maintain high current for a more extended window, making them better suited for certain electromagnetic demonstrations.
Once activated, the results were dramatic. The immense electrical surge generated powerful magnetic forces capable of crushing and deforming metal pipes. Early attempts destroyed test pieces outright, but after refining the setup, he managed to achieve controlled deformation using magnetic pulse effects. Additional materials including tungsten rods, titanium, and bismuth were also subjected to the current, producing intense reactions.
The experiment culminated in a ferrofluid demonstration that generated a massive fireball as the circuit briefly surged beyond 10 million watts. Despite the spectacle, the batteries remained intact at the end of the test and could theoretically be reused.
While clearly not an experiment for amateurs, the project highlights both the raw power stored in everyday automotive batteries and the lengths some creators will go to explore extreme physics in a controlled environment.