Graphite Products for Fast Charge Applications
There is significant interest in fast charging for electric vehicles, drones, consumer products, and industrial applications, however it is difficult to find comparative data demonstrating performance in this area.
Polaris is working on a study that will incorporate at least two types of traditional graphite (synthetic and natural), and two types of "fast charge” (smaller particle size) graphite combined at various blended ratios in the anode slurry formulation. Cells will be built and tested using identified fast charge protocols, which will assess the cell's fast charge performance at various states of charge.
This data will be made available to Polaris clients, and it will be the initial building block for continued assessments of new graphite materials in the industry.
Update 9/15/2026
We are continuing to refine the testing algorithms and methods we will use for the testing of fast charge cells. Current focus is on defining electrochemical testing by monitoring lithium relaxation during charging. This appears to be a more consistent and sensitive way to test for lithium plating that results from the fast charge regimes we use. We are actively identifying the raw materials we will use for the study; it will include a commercial natural graphite, a commercial artificial graphite, and two different “specialty” graphite additives to provide the fast charge performance boost we anticipate. We will update the schedule for the project in the next few weeks.
