Talkin’ Batteries and EVs in the Motor City

­Happy Fall and welcome to the October issue!

Oh, is my unmitigated glee at no longer melting like an ice cream cone in an oven that obvious? You can keep your long days at the beach and baking in the hot sun – I’m all about Halloween, Thanksgiving, and weather that doesn’t feel like I’m wearing five winter coats.

And come October, I’m all about The Battery Show and EV Tech Expo, which celebrates its 15th anniversary this year – a decade and a half of “driving progress in advanced battery and electric vehicle technology”, with 21,000+ attendees, 1,300+ exhibitors, and more than 150 speakers highlighting the bleeding edge of applications that already sit on the pointy tip of the bleeding edge.

This will be my first time at The Battery Show and EV Tech Expo (but not my first time in the Motor City), but if what I’ve heard from prior attendees rings true, I’m in for quite a time!

I’ll be there October 7^th, and I look forward to beholding the latest and greatest in energy storage and alternative energy vehicles, but more importantly, I’m excited to reconnect with friends and colleagues – the true highlight of any large trade show. After all, what’s innovation without the people and thought-leaders that make it all possible?

October is also the month we take a deeper look at the Internet of Things + Smart Cities, which, not coincidentally, are inextricably linked with advanced EVs and autonomous vehicles. One could even say connected vehicles are a critical, nay, indispensable, part of the IoT, because who wouldn’t want to dramatically curtail the third-leading cause of death in the U.S. (auto accidents)?

That said, I’d like to take a brief glimpse at October’s cadre of contributed commentaries, including and especially one piece that’s a stellar fit for this month’s gala in Detroit.

And speaking of which, the Société Générale de Surveillance (SGS) discusses one of the most pertinent concerns with modern batteries – thermal runaway, which occurs when a battery cell experiences an uncontrollable rise in temperature and pressure, and according to SGS’s Walter Zheng, may be triggered by internal defects, overcharging or exposure to external heat sources.

According to one study, thermal runaway incidents rose 28% from 2019-2023 (and what’s scarier is this data was collected aboard civilian jetliners). And as Nature.com points out, “Thermal stability in lithium-ion batteries is crucial for ensuring safety in energy storage systems and electric vehicles.”

Zheng details the leading causes of thermal runaway in batteries and suggests a solution that involves using AI-powered testing to curtail this dangerous phenomenon.

Enjoy the October issue and hope to see you in Detroit!

Best Regards,

Jason Lomberg

North American Editor, PSD