PinnedTaking batteries to the skiesA decade ago, I opened my seminar at Carnegie Mellon University comparing the curb weight of Tesla Roadster and Lotus Elise. Then, I made a now-obvious take that batteries would take the place of combustion reshaping the automotive industry, and thereby mechanical engineering. Now, it’s time to make a new…Battery5 min readBattery5 min read
PinnedEnergy-efficiency of flying carsFlying cars have been the epitome of high technological advancements and utopia for several decades. The vision for urban air transportation is to eliminate the runway for take off and land to minimize space usage, a scarce resource in cities. Along with this vision, there is hope for sustainability, enabled…Flying Cars3 min readFlying Cars3 min read
Feb 17, 2022Activating the Electrochemical Magic: A twist in the taleElectrochemical reactions are at the core of the electrification transformation in electric cars, aircraft, and electrolysis for hydrogen production. The rate of electrochemical reactions governs a number of key metrics: fast charging in electric cars, the ability to take-off and land in electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft and unit…Electrochemistry4 min readElectrochemistry4 min read
Nov 16, 2021Two worlds, one goalThe story behind our most recent paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, begins on the Memorial Day weekend of 2019, when a perspective paper with the title, Revisiting the cold case of cold fusion, was published. My close collaborator, Yet-Ming Chiang, was part of a team…Superconductivity4 min readSuperconductivity4 min read
Oct 18, 2021Is Machine Learning ready to tackle the “AND problem” of Batteries?October 15th marked my one-year anniversary as Chief Scientist at Aionics Inc. This gives me a chance to reflect on my assumptions from a year ago on whether machine learning is ready to tackle challenges in practical battery materials design and optimization. Those that know me know that I take…Battery5 min readBattery5 min read
Dec 10, 2020Machine-learning accelerated design of electric vehicle aerodynamicsMobility is central to human life and endeavor. The modern era of automobiles and planes have enabled unprecedented levels of mobility and has brought unparalleled prosperity to our species. …Aerodynamics5 min readAerodynamics5 min read
Nov 24, 2020Reaction rate laws key to unlocking lithium metal batteries for flying cars and fast charging2020 has been the year for lithium metal. Lithium metal batteries, which promise to deliver about 50% improvement in energy delivered per weight and volume, appear to be ready for primetime. The main challenge thus far has been to stop the formation of dendrites, needle-like patterns of metal deposition that…Battery6 min readBattery6 min read
Oct 9, 2020Cinema displays meet BatteriesLithium metal batteries have drawn enormous attention over the last month. Lithium metal is the holy grail in batteries as it has the potential to bring a substantial boost to the energy density over current Li-ion batteries. One of the central problems in using metallic lithium involves suppressing the formation…Battery5 min readBattery5 min read
Apr 28, 2020Batteries for Flying CarsOur latest paper in Nature Materials with Brett Helms’ group at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, is the result of a five-year effort in understanding electrodeposition instabilities at solid-solid interfaces, leading to high-performing lithium metal based batteries. …Energy Storage4 min readEnergy Storage4 min read
Aug 3, 2017A cross-country trip from the futureI was going to spend a portion of my summer in California and I was debating whether to drive cross-country or have a rental for my summer stay. Cross-country trips are challenging enough but in this case, it turns out to be even more interesting since I drive a Tesla…Tesla16 min readTesla16 min read
