Opinion

Event: Battery Show and Hybrid Vehicle Technology Expo

Trade Show To Offer Updates on Critical Auto Tech

Senior leaders from the Department of Energy, Ford Motor Company and LG Energy Solutions are set to headline the upcoming jointly located Battery Show and Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology Expo that will take place in Novi, Michigan, September 14-16, 2021.

The in-person event has attracted an impressive array of industry speakers, including keynotes:

  • David Howell, vehicle technologies deputy direction, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy,
  • Brett Hinds, chief engineer, electrified powertrain systems, Ford Motor Company, and
  • Denise Gray, president, LG Energy Solution Michigan Inc. Tech Center.
David Howell, Dept. of Energy
Dave Howell, Dept. of Energy
Brett Hinds, Ford
Brett Hinds, Ford
Denise Gray, LG Chem Solution
Denise Gray, LG Chem Solution

Howell is expected to detail some of the electrification initiatives of the Biden Administration such as its support for the development of a U.S.-based lithium battery supply chain. In echoes of the move decades ago to get away from imported oil, President Biden has issued an executive order to assess the country’s vulnerabilities due to its battery supply chain and identify policies that might address them. The Department of Energy Blueprint developed from that assessment calls for building domestic supplies of lithium and other key minerals and components used in EV batteries as well as creating mineral processing and battery manufacturing capacity here.

US Lithium mine
US Lithium mine

Ford’s recent battery-focused developments will likely be Hind’s topic. The company set up a global battery center of excellence—Ford Ion Park—intended to accelerate Ford’s battery and battery cell R&D as well as research on battery manufacturing. It’s located in Romulus, Michigan, not far from Ford’s headquarters and the Rouge Plant where the F-150 Lightning electric pickup will be produced.

Gray’s LG Energy Solution Tech Center is a manufacturing center for lithium-ion polymer battery cells and packs for EVs as well as energy storage applications. She will be called on to address the supply and demand issues of an electric vehicle industry that is in the midst of a rapid expansion that may tax battery production.

Companies planning to exhibit at the show include Advanced Battery Concepts, ATOP, Carl Zeiss, Cascadia Motion, Curtis Instruments, Dana Corp., Dassault Systems, Dewesoft, ESI Automotive, HB Fuller, Honeywell, Hongfa, Mitsubishi Chemical, Nordson Sealant Equipment, Odawara, Rise Robotics and Webasto.

The shows are produced by Informa Markets. Registration is found here.

Story by Michael Coates

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