The ALABC once again reached out to the North American auto industry at The Battery Show 2013 conference and exhibit in Novi, MI (near Detroit).  With more than 300 companies on display and a record number of attendees, the event has become one of the premier battery expos in the North American region, as well as an effective venue for the lead-acid battery industry to make connections in the hybrid and electric vehicle arena.

From an exposure standpoint, the ALABC was well-represented at both the event’s exhibit area and the conference proceedings.  The Consortium’s exhibit booth was located near the front door of the exhibit hall right across from the East Penn booth, which displayed the ALABC’s UltraBattery Honda Civic demonstration vehicle.  Representatives included ALABC Marketing & Communications Manager Chip Bremer, PAM Chairman John Likarish and Tammy Stankey of Doe Run, Sheila Ryles of Teck, John Howes of Redland Energy, and Dirk Zepp of project partner Controlled Power Technologies (CPT).  The representatives greeted visitors and fielded questions from other industry professionals, including representatives from automotive manufacturers and battery suppliers, as well as local media and other interested individuals.  The booth featured several of the ALABC’s latest publications, as well as a model display from CPT that tied into the LC SuperHybrid demonstration projects.

Consortium representatives also guided visitors over to the Civic across the way and educated them on the demo vehicle’s achievement of 120,000 miles in fleet duty and its continued operation through member Electric Applications Incorporated in Phoenix.  The car, a 2006 Civic HEV that runs on East Penn UltraBattery modules, was also on display at the 2012 event when it had just surpassed the 100,000 mile mark.

The Battery Show conference session opened with a joint keynote plenary with the Electric & Hybrid Technology conference, which featured a standing-room only session hosted by CEOs from Tier 1 battery suppliers including Sally Miksiewicz of East Penn.  The first day included a session on lead-acid trends and applications in which ALABC Program Manager Boris Monahov presented on the Consortium’s work in lead-carbon batteries and the prospects of this technology for HEVs and energy storage applications.  Representatives of other member companies presented during the event, including EnerSys and Firefly International.  Allan Cooper, Project Coordinator of the ALABC’s European component, also gave a presentation on the LC SuperHybrid approach to hybridization during the Powertrain Cost Reduction and Performance Improvement session of the Electric & Hybrid Technology conference.

On the last day of the event, the ALABC’s Public Affairs and Marketing (PAM) Committee held its third meeting of the year and possibly its most well-attended meeting in several years.  The committee discussed the 2013 PAM activities and prospects for 2014, as well as other potential opportunities.  Minutes of the meeting were distributed to PAM members and questions can be directed to Chip Bremer at [email protected].

For the ALABC, the event was a success in that allowed the Consortium to continue making connections with automotive manufacturers and suppliers as well as potential members and other groups in the battery industry.  The Battery Show organizers touted a 35 percent increase in attendance and are now making plans for the 2014 show, which will be held Sept 16-18 in Novi.  For more information on the 2013 conference and exhibit or to reserve a booth at the 2014 event, please visit The Battery Show website.