In Detroit, the biggest automotive manufacturing hub in the U.S., something is happening. The ways in which cars are designed and manufactured are changing. Demand for electric vehicles (EVs) is increasing, and with it, demand for EV batteries...and the battery industry has taken notice. Nearly every major automaker - including those in Detroit - are now working on one or more new automotive products powered by electric batteries. To address the needs of these growing industries, Informa Markets has been organizing the Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology Expo/The Battery Show, a trade show to reflect the needs of these increasingly entwined industries. Based annually in Novi, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit, it is the only trade show exclusively dedicated to companies who make products designed for drive trains and power systems in electric and hybrid vehicles.
I spoke to John Lewinski, brand director for the Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology Expo/The Battery Show, about the upcoming show in September (Sept. 10-12). According to Lewinski, the show began as a battery-centric trade show (hence “The Battery Show”) in northern California in 2010. At that point, it was mainly focused on supply chain companies for advanced batteries designed for portable products like cell phones and laptops.
“It quickly became evident that the biggest application with the biggest growth potential for advanced batteries was in automotives and stationary storage,” Lewinski said. The organizers started inviting automotive components makers and larger manufacturers like Fiat Chrysler to participate in the Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology Expo, transforming the Battery Show into a composite of two shows in one. As interest in EVs grew, so did the show.
This year, the Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology Expo/The Battery Show will feature over 650 exhibitors; 207 of which are new exhibitors, and over 80 are tech companies focused specifically on EV technology. Most attendees and exhibitors will be from companies based in the U.S. and Canada, Lewinski said. “The largest group in attendance - besides the states - is Canada, followed by Europe. We have our North American show in September and we do a European show in May.” Lewinski also said that both shows tend to mirror each other in terms of the ways in which they are organized. Aside from North American companies, the show will also feature products and technology from the U.K., China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Brazil, and Mexico, among many others.
Lewinski described the show as a sort of marriage between automotive and battery tech and production. “I think what makes the show unique and so successful is that the whole is bigger than the sum of the parts. Having the EVs together with the battery show, because there is so much crossover, battery customers are customers of the EV exhibits and vice-versa; there’s a lot of collaboration going on between different companies and suppliers.”
Walking through the front entrance to the show floor, Lewinski said, a first-time attendee will immediately notice that it is organized into two sides: on one side, there are 300 or so companies whose products - electric motors, electric transmissions, power electronics, thermal systems, charging systems, converters, and so on - are designed specifically with EVs in mind. On the other side of the hall, there will be around 400 companies whose products and services are designed for the battery-making supply chain.
The floor is also designed to reflect the content of the various seminars, workshops, product showcases, and other features throughout the show. “If you go to a conference session and hear about a technology or a product or a [movement happening within the industry], and then walk around the show floor,” Lewinski said, “you’ll see presentations, examples of what you heard about more in-depth.” There will also be a new product showcase running all three days of the show, which will feature about 30 companies showing off state-of-the-art technology, as well as 15-minute demonstrations for each product.
In total, each seminar, workshop, and event during the show is divided into one of two categories. The first is “Advanced Battery Technologies,” which includes four tracks, including “Advanced Battery Technologies Industry Outlook,” and “Battery Design & Manufacturing.” The second category is “Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology,” which includes the tracks “E/HV Technologies Industry Outlook,” and “Hybrid Vehicle Design Advancements.”
Some tracks like, “battery design and manufacturing,” are based on the technology around which the event centers, while others are more focused on industry trends and specific applications of different technologies. For example, Lewinski said that on the application side, attendees will see several tracks based around OEM adoption, and what they’re looking for specifically from suppliers. A lot of presenters and exhibitors will have presentations and products to show related to battery recycling as well; Battery Solutions, a company that helps companies, municipalities, and governments implement recycling programs, and East Penn Manufacturing, a sustainable battery manufacturer and power grid technology developer, are two examples. On Tuesday, September 10, there will be an open tech forum entitled, “Opportunities & Challenges of Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling“ from 10:15 AM to 10:40 AM.
I asked Lewinski what industry trends are most likely to be the main topics of conversation this year. “In terms of pinpointing what you see on the floor,” he said, “it’s really about these five factors that are really driving the battery technology - safety, cost, performance, environmental concerns, and consumer adoption. Everyone at the show is focused on their contributions for making that happen, so I think when you come to the show you’ll really see that all aspects of the market are represented.”