Super P-Li is widely used in compounding experimental Li ion battery anodes and cathodes. Here we show that substitution of Super P-Li with a 1:1 (wt/wt) mixture of Super P-Li and a rod-shaped (10 mu m long and about 3 mu m wide) nitrogen-doped templated (NDT) carbon of 1740 m(2)/g surface area with 4 nm pore size improves the performance of an experimental Li ion battery anode, utilizing alpha-Fe2O3 (hematite) nanorods as an example active material for testing this mixed carbon based electrode architecture. It is proposed that while Super P-Li provides the essential electronic conduction of the composite electrode, the ion and solvent permeated NDT contributes to the mass (ion) and heat (solvent) transport. (C) 2016 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.