International Conference Opens as EV Sales Hit Record Highs

NOVI, MI--September 12, 2013: With the Volt setting an all-time monthly sales record in August, the Leaf and Prius also setting monthly records, and with plug-in electric vehicles now outnumbering gas stations in the USA, electric vehicle (EV) technology joins advanced batteries center stage at major international co-located conferences The Battery Show and Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology Expo.

Around 157 speakers will provide insights on core topics such as lead acid and li-ion market trends, materials and manufacturing processes, with new dedicated tracks on hot issues such as Utility Energy Storage and Safety. The all-new R&D Zone will offer updates to pioneering academic and commercial research, as well as investor perspectives on commercializing research ready for market.

The new Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology Conference not only offers insights into core battery and energy storage issues for electric and hybrid vehicles, but also leading supplier and OEM perspectives on electrification and hybridization strategies and technologies across passenger cars, commercial, transport and off highway vehicles. In addition, 14 speakers will be giving presentations at a free-to-attend one-day Charging Infrastructure Conference.

Event director Steve Bryan said, "We're delighted to be welcoming a truly comprehensive panel of expert speakers from across the commercial, academic and government/civil sectors. In addition to an array of battery supply chain perspectives, the conferences offer insights from automotive OEMs including Volkswagen, Hyundai, GM and Chrysler, power companies such as SCE, Toronto Hydro and DTE, as well as leading national laboratories and government agencies including JCESR, NREL, NASA, Department of Energy, Department of Transport and the Federal Aviation Authority."

Keynote speaker, Joe LoGrasso, Engineering Group Manager at General Motors, anticipates an excellent conference: "I look forward to sharing good dialogue on the future of batteries and additional insight into GM's electrification strategy as we continue on this important journey."

With the increasing popularity of EVs being translated into record sales, the time for the allied battery, electric auto, and charging infrastructure industries to discuss the future under one roof is now, and the only place that is possible is here in Novi.