Arizona Tribune - Inaugural Battery Show South Marks Southeast's Rise in EV Leadership and Global Competitiveness

South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster opened the event detailing the South's history in driving American manufacturing ingenuity and its contributions to national economic prosperity, providing a reimagination of the Battery Belt's significance to auto manufacturing innovation. The keynote highlighted the region's $4.3 billion recent investments, and the strategic leadership South Carolina continues to provide in EV and clean energy. Cristina Paredes of SC Nexus and Christian Hofer of Key Capture Energy followed, exploring economic opportunities in the South and real-world lessons from energy storage operations across U.S. markets.

Georgia Network for Electric Mobility's most recent report shares that Georgia leads the nation in EV battery and vehicle manufacturing investments with over $31 billion and generated more than 38,000 jobs throughout the last decade, pacing even past Michigan by over $10 billion in investments across the same time period, marking Georgia's rapid rise to leading the global EV ecosystem.

"Atlanta is at the forefront of innovation, and launching The Battery Show South in the epicenter of the Battery Belt signifies The Battery Show meeting the industry where it is growing the fastest, at a crucial point when the battery landscape is evolving," says Shamara Ray, Group Event Director, Informa Markets Engineering. "As we navigate the future of national and international manufacturing, delivery, infrastructure and adoption intricacies, hosting conversations with these regional leaders and best-in-class industry powerhouses provides timely insight on how to stay competitive on the global stage. We aim to increase regional sourcing and strategic partnerships to strengthen supply chain resilience."

Robust educational programming drew high engagement across four dedicated conference tracks, focusing on battery development, battery in use, EV/HEV technology and energy storage. Sessions delved into everything from battery recycling and safety to AI-driven testing, grid-scale energy storage and supply chain integration. The show floor, anchored by the Open Tech Forum, Tech Theatre and series of New Product Showcases, provided a platform to highlight the sector's ongoing developments toward expanding The Battery Belt's impact.

"Conference chair John Warner's opening remarks outlined critical challenges facing the industry. Governor of South Carolina Henry McMaster described advantages for manufacturers in his state, and the Battery Belt, and brimmed with confidence over the future of the US industry. A panel of experts spoke about preparing for variabilities of the new national administration, showing optimistically a path to forge forward. All this was just a sample of the conversations hosted at The Battery Show South, a wealth of invaluable information." Michael Anderson, Editor-in-Chief, Battery Technology.

"The Southeast, now also known as the Battery Belt, is becoming the heartbeat of America's electric future. The Georgia Network for Electric Mobility (GNEM), is proud to be working at the center of this transformation in Georgia, where over $30 billion in EV investment and 38,000 jobs have been created or announced in the past decade. Through research, infrastructure, workforce and community development and strategic partnerships like MAGNET, we are helping shape a national blueprint for electrification. I am honored to play a small part in driving economic development in the region." Gabrielle Pierre, Strategy Lead and Senior Fellow, Georgia Network for Electric Mobility (GNEM).

More than 250 companies exhibited on the expo floor, including Cox Automotive, DuPont, Panasonic Connect North America, Chroma, American Battery Solutions, Zeiss Industrial Quality Solutions, Ampherr, ATS Industrial Automation, TA Instruments, Hitachi, Honeywell, Hongfa, Bosch and Fluor.

The Battery Show South and Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology Expo South, co-located with Energy Storage South returns April 22-23, 2026 at the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The excitement of this year continues with the upcoming annually anticipated tentpole battery events, The Battery Show Europe, taking place this summer, June 3-5 in Messe Stuttgart, Germany as well as The Battery Show North America October 6-9 at Huntington Place, Detroit, Michigan. Early registration is encouraged to take advantage of advance networking opportunities and more.

About The Battery Show
The Battery Show is the largest and most comprehensive advanced battery technology event, co-located with Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology Expo, the only trade show and conference exclusively dedicated to advanced battery and the electric and hybrid vehicle drivetrain. Visitors to our shows can discover and demo the latest products, technology, and solutions from nearly a thousand suppliers, network with tens of thousands of attendees and access a breadth of education across multiple tracks and technical sessions. The Battery Show is organized by Informa Markets Engineering and includes The Battery Show Europe, The Battery Show North America, The Battery Show India and the recently launched The Battery Show South, The Battery Show Asia and The Battery Show Middle East. Official listed media partners include Informa Markets' Battery Technology and DesignNews. For more information, please visit www.informamarkets.com.

About Informa Markets Engineering
Informa Markets Engineering is the leading B2B event producer, publisher, and digital media business for the world's $3-trillion advanced, technology-based manufacturing industry. Our print and electronic products deliver trusted information to the engineering market and leverage our proprietary 1.3-million-name database to connect suppliers with buyers and purchase influencers. We produce more than 50 events and conferences in a dozen countries, connecting manufacturing professionals from around the globe. The Engineering portfolio is organized by Informa Markets, a subsidiary of Informa plc (LON:INF), the world's leading exhibitions organizer that brings a diverse range of specialist markets to life, unlocking opportunities and helping them to thrive 365 days of the year. For more information, please visit www.informamarkets.com.

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SOURCE: INFORMA MARKETS - ENGINEERING