REPORT • REPORT
Deputy Editor Paul Crompton takes a wry look at where the winning batteries are going in cars of the future from thoughts gathered at IDTechEx’s recent meeting in Berlin.
For the average person, let’s call them ‘battery agnostics’, batteries are so intrinsically linked to modern life that until the SLI battery fails or the smartphone needs charging, their attitude towards batteries is at best blasé— they don’t care how the perfectly engineered electrochemical cell got there, just as long as it did.

YOU COULD BE HERE
The International Lead Association is pleased to announce that the 15th European Lead Battery Conference (15ELBC) and Exhibition will be held at the Mediterranean Conference Centre, Valletta, Malta, 13-16 September 2016.
15ELBC will provide an ideal opportunity for those involved with the lead battery industry worldwide to review and discuss the most recent technical advances associated with lead-based batteries, especially for automotive and renewable energy storage applications.
Technical presentations will bring delegates fully up-to-date with the latest research and development information from around the globe. An extensive Exhibition— expected to involve over 100 stands— by suppliers to the industry of equipment, materials and technology, will also take place.
Since the first meeting in Paris in 1988, the European Lead Battery Conferences have developed a reputation for high quality presentations on the design, manufacture, performance and use of lead-acid batteries. Over 700 delegates and 100 exhibitors attended 14ELBC in Edinburgh 2014 and similar numbers are confidently expected in Malta.