Volkswagen Explains Roles Of Cathodes And Anodes In EV Adoption ++ Electric car owners and InsideEVs readers normally know what an anode and a cathode are. At the Volkswagen Power Day, the German automaker wanted to take the definitions of the negative and positive electrodes in a battery a little further. Volkswagen clarified which role each of them performs in EV adoption. Frank Blome, Volkswagen Group Component’s head of battery cell and system, was the man in charge of the explanation. He started by saying that the negative electrode is responsible for charging times. In other words, a better anode leads to faster charging, making the use of an electric car easier for those who fear spending too much time waiting for a charge.