Asahi Kasei Honorary Fellow Dr. Akira Yoshino has been nominated by the European Patent Office (EPO) as a finalist for the European Inventor Award 2019 in the category of “Non-EPO countries” for his invention and refinement of the lithium-ion battery.
Launched by the EPO in 2006, the European Inventor Award, annually honors individual or teams of inventors for their contribution towards technical progress, social development, and economic prosperity.
It is awarded in the five categories of “Industry”, “Research”, “Non-EPO Countries”, “Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises”, and “Lifetime Achievement”, along with the “Popular Prize” which is chosen from among the finalists by online voting on the EPO website.
Asahi Kasei
Dr. Yoshino and Asahi Kasei's Concept Car
Dr. Yoshino’s development of the lithium-ion battery is the 6th Japanese achievement to earn nomination as a finalist for the award.
Developed by Dr. Yoshino in the early 1980s, the lithium-ion battery has been widely adopted in various electronic devices as a safe lightweight rechargeable battery, enhancing portability as the digital age began in the 1990s, ushering in the IT revolution and our current society of mobile connectivity.
Furthermore, the lithium-ion battery is playing a growing role in measures to counter global warming, by powering electric vehicles and by enabling the effective storage and use of electricity from unstable sources of renewable energy. As such, the lithium-ion battery will thus continue to be increasingly important for the sustainability of our society.
Announcement of the winners in each category and the winner of the Popular Prize will be made at the award ceremony on June 20, 2019, in Vienna, Austria.
