Battery Show and Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology Expo 2019 Recap – WHN Was There!
The Battery Show and Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology Expo 2019 took place September 10 through 12 at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi, Michigan, where leaders in the automotive and advanced battery space including engineers, technologists, and innovators convened to discuss the new trends and technologies progressing the electrification of transportation. The show welcomed more than 700 suppliers displaying products and services from every continent around the world, as well as 150 expert speakers, and 9,000 attendees made up of buyers and conference delegates representing over 50 counties across the globe. By all measures, the show met and exceeded expectations in terms of number and breadth of exhibit participation and growth of professional attendance, reinforcing itself as North America’s largest and most comprehensive advanced battery manufacturing trade show.
Reflecting on the steady rise of hybrid and electric vehicles’ mainstream adoption, the show has continued to see year-over-year growth with 2019 up 20 percent from the year prior. Add to that the remarkable technologies displayed across the showroom floor and 70+ hours of unparalleled industry education presented in the Open Tech Forum, it was hard to leave without some amount of elevated optimism toward the future.
One such attendee included vocal environmentalist Ed Begley Jr., who keynoted the third day of the event where he revealed, “What I see out there on the showroom floor is so good for us, good for climate change, good for our pocketbook.” Such showroom floor displayed a variety of remarkable technologies including computer simulation software, battery test systems, connectors and cabling, battery packaging and venting systems, motors and controllers, chargers, battery cells and packs, and more. Additional keynote presentations were given by leading automakers, Bob Taenaka, senior technical leader, Electrified Vehicle Battery Cells/Systems, Ford Motor Company and Mark Verbrugge, director, Chemical and Materials Systems Laboratory, General Motors – each of whom touched on how carmakers will deliver on customers’ electric vehicle demands.
The Leaders’ Roundtables, which followed the daily keynotes, were also of great interest to conference delegates in which attendees remained to learn leadership views on the need for electric vehicle infrastructure, solid-state battery feasibility, and when automakers can expect to see a profit on electric vehicle sales. Other session topics included how to qualify a lithium-ion cell, next-generation batteries, battery safety, and the off-road electric vehicle market.
Following its continued interest and growth, the show is poised for additional expansion in the year ahead. The Battery Show and Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology Expo 2020 is scheduled to take place September 15 through 17, again in Novi’s Suburban Collection Showplace.
