2025 Conference Agenda

As Europe races to scale battery production, manufacturers face mounting pressure to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and secure reliable supply chains. With gigafactories expanding at pace, how can the industry navigate automation, workforce readiness, and material bottlenecks to compete globally? This session examines the real-world challenges and solutions in achieving high-yield, cost-effective, and sustainable mass production.

Key Themes:

• Optimising manufacturing processes (automation, cost efficiency, reducing waste).
• Overcoming supply chain bottlenecks specific to large-scale operations.
• Leveraging lessons from global production leaders (e.g. China, Korea).

As Europe races to scale battery production, manufacturers face mounting pressure to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and secure reliable supply chains. With gigafactories expanding at pace, how can the industry navigate automation, workforce readiness, and material bottlenecks to compete globally? This session examines the real-world challenges and solutions in achieving high-yield, cost-effective, and sustainable mass production.

Key Themes:

• Optimising manufacturing processes (automation, cost efficiency, reducing waste).
• Overcoming supply chain bottlenecks specific to large-scale operations.
• Leveraging lessons from global production leaders (e.g. China, Korea).

Format: Stand Alone Talk 

Format: Talks + Q&A 

Explore emerging alternatives to lithium-ion batteries, including sodium-ion and lithium-metal chemistries. This session evaluates their progress through technology readiness levels (TRLs), potential to overcome challenges such as resource scarcity and cost, and prospects for large-scale adoption, offering insights into their role in reshaping the future of energy storage. 

 

Key Themes: 

• What is the latest in silicon anode innovation? 

• How close are sodium ion batteries to commercial production? 

• An overview of the TRL statuses of alternative cell chemistries 

Solid-state batteries promise higher energy density, but scalability, cost and manufacturability remain major roadblocks. This session explores real-world progress and whether solid-state will reach the mass market in the next decade.

Key Takeaways:

• Where do leading solid-state technologies stand today?
• Barriers to commercialisation and how to overcome them.
• How OEMs are integrating solid-state into future models.

Format: Talks + Q&A 

As EV adoption grows, millions of components will reach the end of their automotive lifespan in the coming decades. This session examines scalable, commercially viable pathways for recycling or repurposing EV batteries into second-life applications. With second-life use forecasted to grow to 200 GWh by 2030, it is time to rethink end-of-life solutions that optimise value recovery and sustainability. 

 

Key themes: 

• Developing profitable second-life business models for EV batteries 

• Overcoming technical challenges in repurposing for energy storage 

• Ensuring regulatory compliance and safety standards for second-life use 

 

Format: Talks + Q&A 

According to some reports, electric heavy-duty vehicles exhibit energy efficiencies approximately 3.5 times greater than their diesel counterparts at highway speeds, and 5 to 7 times greater during lower-speed operation – their potential is enormous. Delve into the technical advancements and market developments driving the electrification of heavy-duty, off-highway, and industrial vehicles, focusing on overcoming challenges related to durability, charging performance, and operational efficiency. 

  

Key Themes: 

• What innovations are enhancing battery durability and energy density for heavy-duty applications?  

• How is the industry addressing charging infrastructure limitations in off-highway environments?  

• What strategies ensure electric vehicles meet performance standards under heavy operational loads? 

 

Format: Talks + Q&A 

As EV adoption accelerates, intelligent battery management is the key to unlocking longer lifespans, greater efficiency, and enhanced safety. This session explores cutting-edge developments in predictive analytics, AI-driven battery health monitoring, and advanced BMS strategies. With battery lifetimes expected to double by 2030, smarter battery management will be essential for cost reduction and sustainability. 

  

Key Themes: 

• AI-driven predictive maintenance to prevent early degradation 

• The role of digital twins in real-time battery diagnostics 

• Maximising cycle life through state-of-health (SoH) tracking 

• How data-driven BMS can enhance energy efficiency and safety 

 

Format: Talks + Q&A 

With next-generation powertrains, engineers must push the limits of thermal management, materials science, and energy conversion to enhance performance and longevity. Explore scalable and cost-effective solutions designed to meet the evolving demands of EV production. This session will examine modular design strategies, the impact of lightweight materials on performance and affordability, and integration challenges. Gain insights into next-gen drivetrain innovation and how to achieve efficient, mass-producible e-mobility platforms without compromising functionality. 

 

  

Key Themes: 

• How next-gen cooling solutions extend system lifespan and boost efficiency. 

• Integration & system-level optimisation for holistic powertrain efficiency beyond individual components. 

• Can modular e-axle designs enable cost-effective mass production? 

• What role do lightweight materials play in reducing costs and improving scalability? 

Format: Talks + Q&A 

Dive into how engineering decisions in motorsports, public transport, construction, and other high-stress environments prioritise power and longevity over energy density. 

 

Key Themes: 

• Optimising powertrain and drivetrain components for rapid power delivery. 

• Balancing battery life with high-discharge rates. 

• Real-world examples and lessons from motorsports and heavy-duty EV development 

• Where are the opportunities for innovators to work across high power applications? 

Format: Talks + Q&A 

As battery energy densities rise and architectures evolve, ensuring safety remains a top priority. While advanced testing methods, from accelerated aging to AI-driven fault detection, have improved risk mitigation, can failures ever be fully prevented? With thermal runaway still responsible for over 80% of battery-related safety incidents, engineers must refine testing protocols to catch potential failures before they occur. This session will examine the latest advancements in predictive safety testing and their real-world effectiveness. 

  

Key Themes: 

• New methodologies for detecting battery defects 

• The latest developments in mechanical and electrical abuse testing  

• Thermal stability and propagation testing  

• Overcharge and over-discharge testing  

 

Format: Talks + Q&A 

With over 3,000 new automotive regulations introduced globally in the past five years, the EV industry faces an increasingly complex compliance landscape. From evolving emissions targets to trade tariffs and critical minerals mandates, businesses must navigate shifting policies while maintaining competitiveness. This session explores key regulatory changes, their impact on EV supply chains, and strategies for future-proofing operations in an unpredictable policy environment. 

 

Key Themes: 

• Navigating trade policies to mitigate risks from tariffs and localisation rules 

• Understanding evolving emissions regulations and their impact on vehicle design 

• Compliance strategies for critical minerals and sustainability mandates 

• How regulatory uncertainty is influencing EV investment and manufacturing decisions 

Format: Panel Discussion 

Navigating the journey from concept to market-ready product often involves traversing the challenging ‘Valley of Death’—the critical stages between Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) 4 and 7, where many innovations falter due to funding gaps, scalability issues, and market uncertainties. This panel discussion aims to dissect these challenges and explore strategies to successfully scale technologies through these perilous phases. 

 

Key Themes:  

• Identifying common pitfalls in the TRL 4-7 stages and strategies to overcome them 

• Securing funding and resources to bridge the development gap 

• Leveraging partnerships and collaborations to enhance scalability and market entry 

Format: Talks + Q&A 

Location: The Headline Stage 

The UK EV industry faces a skills crisis, with 48% of automotive employers reporting challenges in finding workers with the right technical expertise. This session will explore how to attract, train, and retain a workforce ready for electrification. From apprenticeship programs to upskilling engineers, discover strategies to close the gap. Join leading voices to tackle barriers to talent development and ensure the UK stays competitive. 

 

Key Themes: 

• Innovative examples of programmes designed to help reskill ICE trained colleagues 

• Upskilling engineers for electrification roles 

• How apprenticeships & academia can support the workforce 

A welcome speech from Roger Atkins.

Format: Stand alone talk

Format: Talks + Q&A 

As electric vehicle adoption accelerates, the challenge of managing end-of-life batteries transforms into a lucrative opportunity. The global EV battery recycling market is projected to surpass $3.47 billion by 2031, driven by environmental imperatives and resource recovery needs. This session delves into the economic and environmental benefits of battery  recycling, technological advancements, and the collaborative efforts required to overcome existing challenges. 

  

Key Themes: 

• The latest updates on the extent to which recycling can reduce reliance on raw material mining  

• Technological innovations exploring advancements that enhance the efficiency and safety of battery recycling processes 

• Regulatory landscape forecast, outlining the policies and regulations that impact the recycling industry 

• Exploring the dynamics of battery recycling in the UK 

Format: Shark Tank

In this dynamic session, a select group of the UK’s most promising SMEs will present their groundbreaking solutions to a panel of investors. Each entrepreneur has a few minutes time to pitch their innovation, highlighting its unique value proposition, market potential, and scalability.  

 

The panel will provide immediate feedback, pose challenging questions, and consider potential investment opportunities. This interactive format not only offers startups a platform but also provides the audience with insights into the evaluation criteria and decision-making processes of top investors. 

Format: Stand-alone Talk

Battery supply chains are facing mounting pressure as they scale to meet rising demand. From raw materials to cell production, cost-effectiveness is becoming the defining factor of success — and failure. This session takes a detailed look at the upstream, midstream, and downstream economics of the battery supply chain, exploring how technical innovation, policy shifts, and regional strategies are reshaping competitiveness. Learn how vertical integration, process control, and automation are helping industry leaders outperform, and why location, yield, and investment discipline will determine who thrives in the next decade. 

Key Themes: 

• The shifting cost dynamics across the battery value chain 

• Strategic responses to overcapacity, shrinking margins, and rising protectionism 

• Pathways to regional cost-competitiveness through innovation and integration 

 

Join industry heavyweights Roger Atkins, Founder of EV Outlook, and Andy Palmer Chair of Inobat and formerly COO at Nissan, for a powerful conversation on how Europe can navigate the race toward electrification in a year of global change that has not been seen before this century. With China leading the charge on scale and India excelling in affordability, this session unpacks whether Europe should compete head-on or collaborate strategically to secure its place in the EV revolution and how to respond to the whiplash inducing tariffs and global trade changes induced from the US v. the Rest of the World. This dynamic session is your front-row seat to insights from two of the brightest minds in the EV industry—do not miss it! 

 

Key themes: 

• How China’s EV dominance reshapes global market dynamics 

• India’s success in delivering cost-effective electrification solutions 

• What Europe must prioritise: innovation, policy reform, or partnerships? 

• How will global EV markets change in response to changing policies, tariffs and incentives? 

With Europe needing to multiply its battery production volume many times over by 2030 to meet electrification goals, gigafactories are often cited as the silver bullet for securing supply chain independence. But with soaring energy costs, access to critical minerals, policy instability, and fierce global competition, can Europe realistically compete with China and the US on this kind of volume production? This keynote will address the critical question: What is the smartest route to building a resilient, cost-competitive, and sustainable battery industry in Europe? Key Topics:

• Where are we at with developing UK and European gigafactory projects? What does success look like?
• Is building a complete supply chain locally the end-goal for each European country?
• How can we better integrate policies, incentives, and funding to support growth?
• What is needed to create synergies among startups, OEMs, research institutions and governments?

The automotive industry and consumers are pushing for charging infrastructure to scale rapidly—but at what cost? Fragmentation in standards, energy supply constraints, and uncertain business models are putting pressure on automakers. Will OEMs be forced to invest in power generation? Can interoperability challenges be solved? What do consumers want? And is battery swapping a real contender? This panel dissects the biggest bottlenecks in charging infrastructure and their impact on vehicle design, battery innovation, and market adoption.

Key Discussion Points:

• Standardisation vs. Fragmentation – Can the industry unify behind NACS, CCS, or ISO 15118?
• Automakers as energy providers? – Should OEMs secure their own power supply for factories and fleets?
• Infrastructure Investment vs. Return – can charging ever be profitable without subsidies?
• Battery swapping & future disruptions – could this challenge fast-charging dominance?

Format: Talks + Q&A 

Delve into the latest breakthroughs that are extending the capabilities of lithium-ion technology, addressing its ongoing dominance in battery innovation. This session will focus on advanced cathode and anode materials, electrolyte innovations, and strategies to enhance energy density, cycle life and safety. Discover how these advancements are keeping Li-ion competitive in an evolving landscape while overcoming challenges related to cost, sustainability, and scalability. 

 

Key themes: 

• Energy density vs. longevity 

• Scalability and manufacturability 

• Addressing market gaps with new Li-ion solutions 

• Which anode and cathode innovations can transform battery efficiency? 

Achieving consistent quality in battery production is essential to maintaining performance, safety, and competitiveness. This session focuses exclusively on quality control innovations, from advanced testing protocols to real-time monitoring systems, ensuring every cell meets exacting standards. With Europe ramping up production, robust quality assurance processes will underpin scalability and reliability.

Key Themes:

• Can automated quality control deliver defect-free mass production and enable cheaper faster battery manufacturing?
• Leveraging real-time monitoring for precision manufacturing
• Integrating AI to predict and prevent production anomalies
• Importance of characterisation in scale up and failure analysis

Format: Talks + Q&A 

By 2030, Europe requires over 7 million public chargers to support EV market growth. Moreover, ultra-fast charging is essential for mass EV adoption, but its integration must balance grid demands, battery health, and cost. This session explores how next-gen power electronics, thermal management and battery architectures are unlocking sub-10-minute charge times without compromising safety or longevity. Can we achieve widespread ultra-fast charging while maintaining economic and environmental sustainability? 

 

Key Themes: 

• Advances in grid-stabilising charging systems 

• Economic implications of fast-charging rollouts 

• Forecasted impacts of faster charging and how to mitigate them 

Format: Talks + Q&A 

With thermal runaway responsible for over 80% of battery-related EV recalls, safety remains a critical challenge in pack design. At the same time, manufacturers must optimise    flexibility and cost-efficiency to meet demand across diverse vehicle platforms. This session explores structural innovations, next-gen materials and integration strategies that enhance pack safety, manufacturability and performance—while keeping costs competitive. 

 

Key Themes: 

• Optimising pack integration to streamline manufacturing and improve vehicle performance  

• Safe design at low, cost – balancing lightweighting and cost reduction with safety 

• Cool under pressure: innovations in thermal management for battery packs 

• Modular pack designs and the argument for standardisation for cross-platform vehicle compatibility 

 

As tariffs and shifting trade policies reshape global supply chains, the EV industry faces new uncertainties. From the Inflation Reduction Act in the US to EU-China tariff disputes and critical minerals security, this session explores how trade policies are reshaping investment, production, and market access. Can Europe maintain a competitive EV sector amid protectionist policies, and what are the implications for OEMs and suppliers navigating this turbulent landscape?

Key Themes:

• How US, EU, and China trade policies are redefining EV market dynamics
• Are tariffs accelerating or hindering Europe’s path to EV supply chain independence?
• Will localisation policies force automakers to rethink global production strategies?
• How can European companies secure critical mineral supply chains amid geopolitical shifts?

Format: Talks + Q&A 

Optimising battery performance is crucial for advancing EV technology. Explore innovative testing methodologies, including the integration of digital tools like simulations and data-driven models to enhance test protocols. Discussions will cover the impact of extreme temperatures on battery efficiency and how varying states of charge and depth of discharge influence battery longevity and cycle life. 

 

Key themes: 

• Building the perfect test protocols – how and when to use digital tools 

• Understanding how batteries perform under extreme temperature conditions 

• How the state of charge and depth of discharge affect battery performance over time