In an interview given to “Assahra Al Maghribia”, on the sidelines of the International Forum on Government Communication 2024 in Sharjah, Rachid Yazami clarified that “the impact of this plant will not be limited to the production de batteriesbut will also play a key role in the energy transition, particularly through the electric vehicleswhich will improve air quality in large cities and, therefore, public health.”
On the sidelines of this forum, a tribute was paid to Mr. Yazami, in recognition of his scientific achievements, particularly those related to batteries lithium-ion. L’Moroccan inventor highlighted the encouraging prospects for the Morocco in the field of energy technologies. In this regard, Mr. Yazami points out that “Morocco must strive to develop its own technologies instead of depending on imported ones,” noting that “the country’s future is promising in several areas such as the production ofgreen hydrogenthe desalination of sea water and the renewable energies“And adding that these areas will experience rapid development, leading to the emergence of new inventions that will strengthen Morocco’s position in technological innovation.
When it comes to the invention that made him famous – the lithium-ion battery – Mr Yazami says he is surprised by the scale of the global battery marketwhich reached $200 billion in 2024 and is expected to reach $430 billion by 2030. He also highlighted his efforts to develop a prototype capable of recharging in just 5 minutes, a world record. However, this innovation was first applied to electronic cigarettes, an industry with which he decided to break away, because of his personal beliefs. Currently, his efforts are focused on “improving this technology to make it compatible with larger devices, such as mobile phones, electric cars or even the energy storage“Mr. Yazami emphasizes “the difficulty of transforming an invention into a usable product, a complex but essential process to revolutionize the market.”
Despite his many contributions, the inventor remains deeply attached to his home country. After more than six years of reflection, Rachid Yazami came to the conclusion that the Morocco had “an urgent and crucial need for a “Gigafactory” similar to that of Tesla“This project requires the training of engineers specialized in batteries and their handling. This is how the idea of creating a center of excellence for batteries at the University of Fez was born. However, Mr. Yazami deplores the lack of support to develop this project. He indicated that he could, during his next visit to Morocco, meet with interested stakeholders to relaunch the project, in order to allow young Moroccans to acquire the skills necessary to contribute to innovation in this field.
