The inventor of the graphite anode: What Tesla can do in 70 minutes, we do in ten minutes

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Rachid Yazami is the man who invented the graphite anode. Without it, lithium ion batteries would not work nearly as well as they do today.

Battery revolution
Rachid Yazami was born in Fez, Morocco. He studied in France and as a doctoral student he invented the key component that started a battery revolution: the graphite anode in lithium ion batteries.

The story of Yazami's contribution to science begins in the mid-1970s. Researchers knew that graphite could help make molten or powdered lithium a good material for storing energy, but they did not know how. In 1983, Yazami together with Ph.D. Touzain world how it could be done. Their research helped make mass-produced Li-ion batteries affordable, reliable, durable - and ubiquitous.

Worldwide career
The invention has helped give Yazami a worldwide career that includes France, California, Japan and now Singapore where he has established a company that researches battery technology. His office is located near Nanyang National Technological University.

Professor Yazami says that the invention of the graphite anode "made me popular, but not rich". However, it has given him pretty fat bragging rights:

In 2019, ten billion batteries were produced worldwide. 98 percent of them used the anode. In each mobile phone and electric car sits his anode.

New technology for fast charging
Fast charging is convenient for consumers, but it has a big impact on battery life. Now Yazami is working on methods for fast charging of lithium ion batteries and his company is already setting records:

We have developed the fastest charging technology in the world. What Tesla can do in 70 minutes, we do in ten minutes. It's seven times faster.

New approach
Yazami says the company's charging technology represents a new approach to how to transfer power to a car.

Traditionally, batteries have been charged with a constant stream of power in the same way as you fill up a fuel tank: You open the fuel cap and start refueling.

Make the battery happy
Yazami's method is non-linear, it controls the voltage instead of the current. He says we need to think of the excitement as the steps on a ladder.

The voltage remains constant in one step until the parameters are met. Then it can move up to the next step and only reaches the top of the ladder with a fully charged battery. According to Yazami, this method gives the battery a rest during charging and changes how it reacts.

Charging speed depends on battery life. You need to make the battery happy.

Ten minutes charging time: 800 km
“Our technology enables fast charging without reducing battery life by avoiding stress. Instead of a lifespan of five years, it can last for ten years.

” Yazami envisages that ten minutes of charging will be able to give the car a range of 800 km.

Energy density and safety
“The energy density of lithium ion batteries increased from the beginning in 1991 until 2015/2016 when it flattened out.

When Sony launched a Li-Ion battery, it lasted about 90 watt hours per second. kilo. We are now close to 270. Some of the lithium ion batteries can provide 290 watt hours per. kilo. We are already there, I have tested commercial batteries in the laboratory. ”

The goal is to reach 300. We have seen some prototypes, but when energy density increases, there are problems with service life and safety.

Not by the crash, but by the fire that broke out in the battery pack after the Tesla crashed.

Prevention
"In extreme situations, we can not prevent fire, but we can do a lot to prevent it. We need technology that monitors the battery, sensors that measure how much it expands during heat and warning systems that allow you to service the battery pack or replace it months in advance. It will increase security many times over. ”

The researcher estimates that battery technology over the next twenty to thirty years will develop for use not only in mobile phones and vehicles, but also in electric aircraft. He predicts that Europe's share of world battery production will grow from three to twenty percent.

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