Innovative research program revealed at CBI’s technical workshop in China

The Consortium for Battery Innovation’s first technical workshop since it relaunched in February was a great success. Held on 5-6 March in Shanghai, China, the event was attended by over 120 delegates, a record-breaking number and an encouraging start to CBI’s new program for 2019 and further ahead.

Attendees came from a range of companies across the lead and lead battery industries, from both within China and globally.

Some of China’s largest lead battery manufacturers and members of CBI attended and presented at the technical workshop, such as Tianneng, Sacred Sun, Narada, Leoch, China Shoto and Jinkeli.

Launching CBI in its new form, attendees heard about the cutting-edge, innovative battery research priorities laid out in a new technical roadmap.

Setting market-driven research goals for lead battery research across all applications, the roadmap identifies two significant areas critical for the advancement of lead batteries: Dynamic Charge Acceptance for automotive applications, and cycle life for energy storage uses.

Aiming for a significant improvement in both areas by 2022, the expected results will be critical for the positive outlook of lead batteries in the future and for developing advanced lead batteries for all applications.

Lead battery recycling was another key focus of CBI’s technical workshop. Members presented on the latest recycling techniques and collection rates. A very topical issue in China, lead batteries were recently described by China’s Department for Energy as a “backbone” national industry, amongst an announcement for improved national recycling performance.

Energy storage, a vital industry predicted to grow a huge amount, and the essential role lead batteries play for energy storage was discussed. Energy storage has been identified as a key market with significant growth potential and opportunity for lead batteries. CBI members presented on their existing energy storage projects in China and globally.

Attendees also came from further afield. Member companies Teck, Cabot and Hammond attended the meeting and presented on a range of topics related to lead production and lead battery development.

The technical workshop featured global battery experts from the industry – Battery Experts Dr David Rand and Eberhard Meissner and Mark Stevenson from Global Lead Technologies.

The event also held key interest for Chinese metals and renewables associations: representatives from China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association (CNIA), Beijing Antaike Information Development Co., Ltd and China Technology Innovation Strategic Alliance for Resources Recycling Industry (CIAR) were all present.