June 7, 2018: Registration has opened for the largest gathering of the lead battery industry in 2018, the 16th European Lead Battery Conference, to be held in Vienna, Austria between September 4 and 7.

The International Lead Association, which organizes the event, says 800 delegates are expected from battery manufacturers, researchers, suppliers and end users.

Keynote presentations include a look at the global rechargeable battery market and market trends; the impact on lead demand of EVs; lead prices and demand; sustainable energy storage; the latest EU legislation and its impact on the industry; carbon in the negative active mass; and the future of lead-acid batteries.

A pre-conference workshop in the afternoon of September 4, chaired by Geoffrey May of Focus Consulting, will look at the current standards and test methods of lead-acid batteries and whether they properly reflect micro-hybrid automotive duty.

“There are strong opinions that existing standard protocols do not represent adequately the conditions of use for batteries in actual service and may even inadvertently favour lithium-ion batteries,” says the ILA about the workship.

“Invited experts will present the key issues and an open discussion will follow to explore how best to demonstrate the credentials of lead-acid batteries and thereby enable the technology to achieve the widest possible application.”