Battery Show 2024: Five insights

The 2024 Battery Show, taking place in Detroit, has gained traction as one of North America’s largest and most comprehensive events for advanced battery technology and EV innovation. This year’s show attracted over 1,150 exhibitors and showcased the latest advances in battery technology, electric vehicles and related industries. It also highlighted new solutions to increase battery efficiency and reduce manufacturing costs in various sectors such as automotive, stationary and portable applications.

Both automakers and suppliers face the challenge of managing EV adoption rates among consumers, taking longer than expected to build out public charging infrastructure, allocating capital in a way that doesn’t block investment, and more.

Wards Intelligence analysts Chris Liu, Adam Ragozzino and Christie Schweinsberg and WardsAuto senior editor David Kiley attended the show and spoke on several panels. Here are her five key takeaways from this year’s conference and exhibition.

1. The US elections are weighing on collective business minds. The difference between a Trump administration and a Harris administration is huge.

Trump’s rhetoric was clear: more tariffs for more countries, higher tariffs on Chinese goods, fewer incentives for electric vehicles and a weaker US dollar. And according to political analysts who took the stage at this year’s Battery Show, a Trump presidency would likely come with Republican majorities in the House and Senate. Not that he needs Congress for the tariffs; these are within the power of the executive. However, repealing the Inflation Reduction Act and any associated benefits for electric vehicle growth would require congressional action, and a Trump 2.0 presidency is likely to take it.

Economists say Trump’s announced plans for blanket tariffs and his other industrial policies are inflationary and could lead to higher interest rates and a stronger, not weaker, dollar.

A Harris presidency, on the other hand, will likely continue current Biden policies: support for electrification, electric vehicle subsidies, and maintaining current tariffs on Chinese goods with the possibility of additional tariffs targeting specific industries and products. Both political parties appear to agree on limiting China’s impact on the US economy, particularly the automotive and telecommunications industries. Current Biden appointees would likely remain in office to ensure continuity in a Harris administration, according to Ben Steinberg of Venn Strategies and a keynote speaker at the event.

The tight race leaves companies in a holding pattern until the November election.

2. Many vendors offer products that aim to improve battery performance and efficiency through the use of additives.

Companies like Ten-nine, which offers performance improvements for electrolytes and electrodes; Forge Nano, which applies specialized coatings to cathode and anode materials; and anode and cathode supplier Epsilon Advanced Materials, which uses silicon to improve the performance of graphite anodes, was well represented. The effect is that traditional batteries are improving rapidly, and the improved efficiency is driving down costs as battery manufacturers can do more with less.

3. Despite being a trade show dedicated to the batteries that power electric vehicles, there was still a lot of talk about the need for the government and industry to make it easier for many drivers to get started with all-electric vehicles.

There is still a lot of talk about increasing the number of hybrids and plug-in hybrids, which are still partly based on internal combustion engines, and pushing alternative fuels as strategies to reduce CO2 emissions. “The universal applicability of BEVs is not yet there,” says Brian Laughlin, head of foreign policy at ZF, in a panel discussion on a question about banning internal combustion engine vehicles in the European Union by 2035. “You want to achieve the end result that “Zero exhaust emissions are zero, and there are a number of ways to achieve this goal – including the use of plug-in hybrids – without alienating large parts of the population or openly rejecting these vehicles,” he says, pointing to the problem of weak charging infrastructure in Eastern Europe.

4. The US government is putting the cart before the horse with regulations.

Because of the aggressive, phased-in battery materials regulations that OEMs must meet, there is a real chance that few or no vehicles will be eligible for the $7,500 federal 30D tax incentive next year. Consider how dependent Batteries are made of materials and components from China. “The direction was right, but maybe the implementation was just a little too quick, too aggressive,” says Chris Nevers, senior director of public policy at Rivian, who says Rivian may not have a qualifying model for purchase credit next year Other OEMs are expected to be in the same boat and need more time to adjust supply. He also believes the Biden administration’s proposed ban on Chinese software in U.S. vehicles for the 2027 model year may be unrealistic for some automakers, since the 2027 model year is just 15 months away.

5. Safety is an important concern.

Fires caused by thermal runaway, also for Solid-state batteries remain a problem, says Michael Sanders of Avicenne Energy. While the number of fires is not huge compared to fires involving internal combustion engines, each fire is widely reported in the news media and social media, and consumer fears increase accordingly.

As long as lithium metal is used, there is a possibility of an adverse reaction, says Sanders.

The rule doesn’t go into effect until July 2026, but companies like Prestone already have a product to meet the coming need. The company recently released a coolant that meets the conductivity threshold but still protects against corrosion. It’s not an easy trick, says Prestone’s Tom Corrigan. The additives in traditional coolants that protect against corrosion are the same elements that increase conductivity, he says. Corrigan expects other countries will eventually follow China’s lead, but may await results from China before issuing new regulations.