Mark your calendars! The Battery Show is already scheduled for October 12th to 15th, 2026.
That’s a wrap! The Battery Show 2025 marked its 15th anniversary this week at Huntington Place in downtown Detroit, drawing thousands of engineers, researchers, and industry professionals from across the electric vehicle (EV) and energy storage sectors.
Co-located with the Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology Expo, the event once again served as a hub for innovation across the EV value chain, showcasing new technologies in battery design, manufacturing, materials, and safety systems.
As the show celebrated a decade and a half of growth, the innovations and new developments on the floor reflected an industry that continues to mature, collaborate, and evolve at a remarkable pace. We had the opportunity to connect with companies advancing the future of electrification, covering materials, manufacturing, battery testing, charging, and more.
Below are just a few of this year’s highlights, with more to come next week.
When batteries go dry (in a good way)
Electrode production has long depended on wet coating, a process in which cathode and anode materials are mixed into a solvent-based slurry, applied to metal foils, and then dried in large, energy-intensive ovens.
The new dry electrode manufacturing system introduced by Dürr offers a fundamentally different approach. Instead of relying on solvents, the process begins with a dry powder mixture that is mechanically pressed into a thin film and laminated directly onto the current collector.
A model of Dürr’s dry electrode production line, designed to eliminate solvents and drying ovens while cutting energy use and floor space requirements in battery manufacturing.
“Our new dry process for making electrodes requires only about half the space requirements compared to typical wet processes, so you save a lot of energy and capital expenditures; not to mention the operating costs,” shared David Ventola, business development director, Clean Technology Systems, Dürr Systems. “And this is going to help the EV industry continue to bring costs down in battery cells, which is critical now.”
For EV manufacturers, the implications are substantial. Electrode production represents one of the most energy and capital-intensive steps in battery manufacturing. A dry process that eliminates solvents not only supports faster, cleaner, and more sustainable cell production, but also helps reduce the overall cost per kilowatt-hour, which is an essential factor for making EVs more affordable and scalable.
What’s more: this new dry process also simplifies production logistics by minimizing material handling, emissions control, and solvent recycling, all of which have been persistent cost and sustainability challenges for traditional wet coating lines.
A safer way to test
Safely testing a battery management system should avoid the risks that come with batteries. Bloomy, known for its battery simulation and test solutions, delivers on that idea with an updated Battery Cell Simulator 1200 series.
Bloomy’s Battery Simulator 1201 offers the industry’s highest cell-channel density for safe, precise BMS validation and testing.
“The fundamental building block of all our battery and BMS testing equipment is our Battery Cell Simulator 1200 series, which we’ve recently refreshed,” said Peter Blume, president and CEO of Bloomy.
“The new 1201 model provides 12 independently programmable channels that can source and sink current under a BMS’s control, just like a real battery, but without the hazards of lithium-ion chemistry,” he added. “It can reach any state of charge instantly, as fast as you can command it through a programming interface.”
Each of the 12 channels is isolated to 1,000 V, enabling series connections for simulating battery modules, strings, and packs with remarkable fidelity. Controlled via Ethernet or high-speed CAN, the system integrates easily into automated test setups and includes built-in voltage and current readback for precise feedback without external monitoring equipment.
With improved ±1 mV and ±1 mA accuracy and reinforced isolation, the Battery Simulator 1201 ensures safe, repeatable, and high-fidelity results in a 1U rackmount form factor, currently the highest cell-channel density in the industry.
A better battery pack
How a battery pack is built can define the limits of what commercial electrification can achieve. BorgWarner’s new LFP Battery Pack Generation rethinks that foundation with a cell-to-pack design built around blade cell technology from partner FinDreams Battery, combining high energy density, safety, and cost efficiency in a single scalable platform.
Developed for commercial vehicles, the system delivers long cycle life, fast charging, and reliable safety compliance across on-highway, off-highway, and marine markets. Its modular lineup includes the innovative Flat and High Packs, which can be configured together within a single platform to match specific energy and space requirements.
BorgWarner’s latest LFP Battery Pack Generation featuring FinDreams blade cell technology and a modular design built for commercial EVs.
The Flat Pack features a low-profile design optimized for underfloor installation in trucks, buses, and vans, providing balanced weight distribution and accessibility. The High Pack offers greater vertical capacity and total energy content, ideal for off-highway and marine systems where space and performance demands are higher. Each one integrates active liquid cooling, multi-pack controllers, and continuous voltage, temperature, and state-of-health monitoring.
“These cells are proprietary to BorgWarner and made specifically to fit within the grid rails for commercial vehicle applications, although we’re soon expanding beyond that, as well,” shared Kelly Schultz, account manager, Battery Systems, Borgwarner.
Certified to key automotive and marine standards, the packs also support over-the-air software updates and holistic safety management. The system achieves a 98% depth of discharge (DoD), allowing nearly the full capacity of the pack to be used without compromising performance or cycle life.
Scaling upwards
Conventional battery assembly lines typically expanded by stretching outward, building another conveyor, another line, another hall. But the future of manufacturing is growing upward instead.
A collaborative Kassow Robot performs pack handling within Bosch Rexroth’s automated EV battery assembly setup.
At least, this is the case for Bosch Rexroth, which offers automated solutions for battery pack manufacturing that combine linear robots, autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), conveyor systems, and precision tightening tools into a single, modular ecosystem.
These systems are engineered for scalability. The approach reimagines line design not as a fixed, horizontal conveyor system, but as an adaptive, vertical process architecture capable of high-density throughput.
“You could sum all of this up in speed and density,” said Dave Hull, director of sales, Vertical Markets, Bosch Rexroth. “In the past, if you wanted to make twice as many cars, you built a factory twice as big. You’d buy another conveyor line and just plunk it next to the first one. Today, we can go up, using vertical space and exceptional speed. The method is the same at its core, but the system is faster, denser, and far more efficient.”
And when Hull says fast, he means it. The company has run systems up to 2,000 miles or more, hitting speeds of five meters per second.
“It’s fast,” he added. “Full battery packs are flying. The takt times are really low, and once the system starts moving, the entire line accelerates quickly.”
Bosch Rexroth’s automation technology builds on decades of assembly experience, refined now for the precision and production pace required by modern EV battery packs.
A smarter way to vent
How pressure and heat are managed inside a battery pack can make all the difference in preventing failure. And it starts with a adequate venting. Avery Dennison Performance Tapes has introduced its new EV Battery Venting Materials Portfolio to help reduce the risk of thermal events and enhance overall pack safety.
EV battery venting films from Avery Dennison help balance rapid gas release with high flame-resistance for safer pack designs.
The portfolio features single and double-coated anisotropic filmic tapes that incorporate proprietary fire-barrier coatings and pressure-sensitive adhesives for bonding. These solutions are engineered for use at the cell, module, or pack level, where precise venting can protect neighboring cells from cascading failure.
Applied over module or pack venting holes, the materials enable rapid burn-through to direct gases safely outward, while the reverse side provides flame resistance to prevent hot gases from migrating into adjacent cells. The design balances two opposing needs, including quick gas release and extended flame containment, minimizing the chance of propagation.
“What we’ve developed are films and tapes that allow hot gas and flame to burst through nearly instantly, but then resist on the other side,” explained Max VanRaaphorst, business development manager, eMobility, Automotive & Energy Storage, with Avery Dennison. “It lets the heat escape without turning the battery pack into a convection oven, where that hot air could otherwise trigger nearby cells.”
The company’s venting materials offer an economical, space-efficient alternative to traditional mica components while maintaining strength, flexibility, and reliable performance. The thin profile supports roll-to-roll manufacturing and can be customized for thickness, color, and compatibility with other materials such as aluminum foil or mica. The result is a venting system that combines precision, safety, and scalability.
A balancing act
Thermal management in EVs is a constant balancing act of heat, pressure, and precision. TDK Corporation’s combined pressure-temperature (pT) sensor is designed to help automakers monitor and control these dynamics with exceptional accuracy, particularly within cooling and refrigerant systems where small inefficiencies can dramatically affect range and performance.
A closer look at TDK’s combined pressure–temperature sensor, used in EV heat pump and cooling applications for accurate phase-change monitoring.
“In the vehicle, we have several fluid systems, each with both pressure and temperature,” explained Jason Blume, senior product marketing manager, TDK Electronics Inc. “When you move from liquid to gas, you also create a pressure change. You have to measure that to know exactly when it’s occurring and at what temperature, because every engineered fluid behaves differently.”
In EVs, this process takes place inside the heat pump, a system that replaces the engine as the main source of heating and cooling. Unlike conventional HVAC systems that generate heat through resistance, a heat pump transfers thermal energy by compressing and expanding refrigerant fluid.
As the fluid cycles from liquid to gas and back again, it absorbs and releases heat. Each phase change alters pressure and temperature, and measuring those shifts precisely allows the system to maintain comfort without wasting battery energy.
TDK’s combined pT sensors capture these measurements at effectively the same point in the flow, delivering real-time data that allows for more efficient control of phase change, flow rate, and thermal balance. These fully integrated, immersion-ready sensors feature high accuracy, fast response times, and proven durability in harsh EV environments, making them ideal for refrigerant circuits and oil-based cooling systems used in motors and battery packs.
By tracking the smallest variations in fluid behavior, whether in a compressor line or a circulating oil loop, the pT sensor helps engineers fine-tune cooling efficiency, safety, and energy recovery, while supporting the industry’s drive toward higher power density and longer vehicle range.
A secure way to charge
As the push for faster, more efficient charging continues, Bel Fuse has introduced the BCF19-700-8, a 19.2-kW liquid-cooled on-board battery charger designed for both hybrid and fully electric vehicles under the Bel Power Solutions portfolio.
The charger supports an output voltage range of 450 to 900 Vdc, providing compatibility with a broad range of high-voltage battery architectures.
Bel Fuse’s 19.2-kW liquid-cooled onboard charger, part of the BCF19-700 Series, combines high efficiency with built-in cybersecurity and diagnostic capabilities.
Delivering up to 18 kW of output power with a typical full-load efficiency of 94%, the unit offers robust protection against over-temperature, over-voltage, and over-current conditions.
A CAN bus serial interface enables real-time communication, monitoring, and control to ensure safe, reliable charging within vehicle systems.
“The beauty of that product is that the input current goes up to 80 amps, which is the maximum you can get out of a CCS-1 standard connector,” shared Frank Vondenhoff, global director of eMobility, Product & Business Development at Bel Fuse. “It also includes cybersecurity and unified diagnostic services in CAN. By 2027, all new products will need to be compliant with cybersecurity requirements according to ISO standards, not only at the product level, but also at the corporate level.”
Designed for reliability, safety, and forward compliance, the BCF19-700-8 aligns with standards such as SAE J1939 and UL 2202 while preparing manufacturers for upcoming cybersecurity mandates. The charger can draw power directly from standard EVSE charging stations or the public grid, supporting both single-phase and split-phase 100–277 Vac systems.
When one size doesn’t fit all
In the rapidly evolving EV landscape, design variability is the norm; not the exception. JBC Technologies helps manufacturers meet that challenge with custom-fabricated seals, gaskets, compression pads, cell separators, protective films, cushions, insulators, and more.
Custom die-cut components from JBC Technologies. Each piece is tailored to fit exact design specifications for sealing, insulation, and protection.
With so many unique battery architectures and material requirements, the company focuses on creating engineered solutions that fit specific design and performance needs, whether for thermal management, sealing, or insulation.
“Many EV components, especially battery cells, are still highly individualized,” explained Todd Wright, CEO of JBC Technologies. “Plus, there’s a lack of standardization in the market, so customization is critical. Because of the range of materials we can combine and the capabilities we bring, we’re able to meet the unique needs of every battery design.”
More than a die-cutting supplier, JBC partners with R&D and design teams from the earliest stages, offering Design for Manufacturability (DFM) insights that ensure each custom solution is optimized for precision, reliability, and scalable production.
The goal is to achieve faster development, fewer technical risks, and a consistent, high-quality supply chain.
Stay tuned for Part II of our Battery Show coverage, featuring more of the latest battery innovations.
Filed Under: Batteries, FAQs, Featured