Although already firmly established as the principal focus and indispensable event for the advanced battery and electric and hybrid vehicle industry, with year-on-year growth, The Battery Show/Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology Expo has broken its own records this year.
The show’s success could be regarded as a reliable barometer of a reviving and thriving energy storage and EV business, and an indication of the importance the business places on continued expansion and future development. However, it is also plain that this industry’s very own event provides it with cohesion and opportunities that could not be found or achieved elsewhere.
More visitors crammed into exhibition floor space that was almost double that of 2013. Meanwhile, the conference was a huge success, with 30% more delegates listening to top-quality speakers from companies such as: Dell, Tesla, Continental, DoE, Lotus Engineering, Porsche, Valeo, Eaton, BAE Systems, and Bosch covering all the major and hot topics affecting the industry. Furthermore, although every presentation was well attended, it was standing room only for the R&D Conference track.
Visitors and exhibitors were equally ebullient at the buzz and excitement in the hall. Alex Sinton from Rebling Power Connectors commented, “The Battery Show has been fantastic! The traffic has been a lot higher and it’s growing every year, with very well qualified leads.” Even at the end of the very first day Dan Anderson of Revolutionary Engineering exclaimed, “Let’s just say, today rocked! We are looking forward to tomorrow!”
Conference Director Mindy Emsley was understandably delighted, “The conference went from strength to strength! The breadth and depth of topics covered, along with year-on-year improvements to the range and calibre of participating speakers attracted the highest number of delegates yet. We will build on the overwhelmingly positive feedback by continuing to deliver business and technical tracks for the battery audience, and seek to grow the content offering for our EV-focused delegates with more sessions on specific applications and sectors such as off-highway.”
Apart from the exhibition and conference, the event offered useful educational opportunities including two three-day Open Tech Forums providing free access to exhibitor-led seminars and workshops all and every day, plus in-depth seminars about a variety of battery topics and applications from Michigan Tech Mobile Lab.
This year an International Business Expansion Service was launched in conjunction with Germany Trade & Invest facilitating expansion of U.S. companies into the German market. Elsewhere, EcoCAR3 hosted its Kick-Off Workshop with 150 students participating in an automotive university challenge for next generation engineers.
Building on its success and always looking to the future, organizers announced the collocation of a new show, Critical Power Expo, connecting the buyers, operators and specifiers of backup power systems for critical applications. Emsley commented, “The launch of the Critical Power show will also add a new and exciting dimension to the 2015 conference.”
A fully international event with its home in the U.S. auto heartland, the show brought together energy storage specialists from across the industry alongside electric and hybrid transportation executives and engineers.
The Battery Show and Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology Expo return to Novi, MI, with new co-located show Critical Power Expo, September 15 to 17, 2015.
