The Battery Show North America 2024: What to Expect

Sebastian Blanco

Multiple events at The Battery Show this week will address fast charging. (Image: Adobe Stock)

There is a not-so-hidden message in the venue change The Battery Show North America needed to make for its 2024 event. The show is moving to a larger location — Detroit’s Huntington Place — from the cozier confines of the previous conference center in Novi, MI, and the list of exhibitors has grown to over 1,150. Show organizers say more than 19,000 people are expected to attend this year.

McKinsey battery materials expert Ken Hoffman, who will speak on multiple panels at the show, told SAE Media that one thing attendees will encounter this week is an industry at a turning point given stiff competition from Chinese OEMs.

McKinsey’s battery materials expert Ken Hoffman. (Image: Ken Hoffman)

“I think what we’re seeing is a rethinking of what's going on in the batteries, that if you don't have 400-500 mile range, if you can't recharge in under, say, 15 minutes. then why are we thinking about this vehicle at all,” he said. “As you go forward, you'll start to see much better vehicles come to the market that give a lot of the capabilities that China has today. And what China did to create that was pack technology, not cell technology. When you start to see efficiencies of over 70 percent in their packs relative to the high 40s and even low 50s of the best-in-class in the West, you start to realize what needs to be done.”

Hoffman said his determination for when the North American automotive battery industry will advance beyond its current “nascent” stage is when there is a robust network of cell companies in the region.

“There is not a U.S.-based, major cell company,” he said. “There's a bunch of startups, but really, you have China, you have Korea, you have some in Japan, and that's basically it. In Europe, you have one sort of large startup that's going through its teething pains, but really not much besides that. What you really need to see is a U.S. or North-America-based major cell maker who can sort of invest in this. I would still say it's nascent until I see a company that's selling something like a billion dollars worth of cells every year into the marketplace and making innovations and everything else.”

Hoffman compared the situation to China, which has a “competitive conundrum” of about 100 battery companies making cells. In 2025, The Battery Show organizers will host the first The Battery Show Asia in Hong Kong.

NACS Update from SAE

But this week, the focus will be on North America. The announcement with the most potential to attract attention outside of battery tech circles will come from SAE International, which will publish its North American Charging Standard (NACS) J3400 Recommended Practice (RP) at the show. SAE International says the new NACS RP, “establishes a robust framework for EV charging in North America including general physical, electrical, functional, safety, and performance requirements for the rollout of the industry-developed standard,” but news of how more EVs will be able to access Tesla’s widespread network of fast chargers will be heard far and wide.

Hoffman said it’s a good idea to be as forward-thinking as possible when it comes to charging standards.

“Look, I love standards,” he said. “I think it was around six years ago, China [and Japan] came out with a standard that all chargers in those countries would be 500 watt chargers. When we talk to consumers, all they care about is range and recharge time. Safety comes eighth or ninth on the list every time we've done this for a decade. … We need to really start now working on the charging stations in order to push those type of electrons. I'm all for any sort of push towards upgrading all of our infrastructure to get to sort of that ability to give the consumer what they want.”

Multiple events at The Battery Show this week address fast charging, including the “China Battery Industry Technology Innovation Trends 2024” report and a session on “Extreme Fast Charging Battery Technology.”

This article was written by Sebastian Blanco, Editor-in-Chief, Automotive Engineering magazine, SAE International.

For the complete agenda of the show, visit https://tbsm24.mapyourshow.com/8_0/sessions/#/ .