Strong and United Voices Advocate for the Industry
BCI is here to be a strong voice for the industry. To ensure the stability of the industry, we need the contributions of our members. Please consider whether your company would like to be active on any of our committees. We are always open to fresh ideas for improving BCI’s value to our members.
Advancing Lead Batteries Communications Initiative
The Advancing Lead Batteries Communications Initiative (ALBCI) aims to increase awareness of the critical importance of lead batteries to power our daily lives. It serves as the communications management team for BCI and the lead battery industry. The committee is comprised of senior communications executives from BCI member companies and is focused on marketing and communicating lead battery industry objectives to policymakers and stakeholders. ALBCI meets biweekly via teleconference and at the annual convention and in October during Committee Week.
The group’s mission is to inform and educate stakeholders of the need for investment in innovative and sustainable lead battery technology to store and provide energy on demand.
To achieve its mission, ALBCI seeks to:
- Communicate accurate information about the benefits of lead batteries via website, social media and conferences.
- Engage with policymakers on the essentiality of lead batteries and innovative research to improve their performance for automotive and energy storage applications.
- Create original content such as information briefs on the role of lead batteries in renewable energy and the circular economy to demonstrate that lead batteries are a part of the future.
- Publish economic impact studies with data collected from BCI member companies to share with policymakers and the business community the strong economic contributions to the communities where they operate.
Staff Liaison: Jeff Reeves
Convention Planning Committee
The committee provides support to the Headquarters staff as part of the site selection process for convention locations, assists in identifying speakers for the convention program and helps coordinate selected onsite logistics (i.e. golf tournament, Quarter Century Club Breakfast, etc.). Meets as needed. Click here for more information on the BCI Convention.
Data Book Committee
The Data Book Committee supervises the compilation of the BCI’s vehicle battery replacement database including the yearly Data Book. Working in conjunction with an external research organization, the committee recommends the creation of applicable new group sizes and supplemental information for BCI’s application data. Meets three times per year – in January prior to the publication of the printed book, at the annual convention and in October during Committee Week.
Staff Liaison: Andrew Hamill
Deep Cycle & EV Committee
The Deep Cycle and Electric Vehicle Battery Committee is responsible for a broad scope of activities related to EV technology including among others, testing, safety, and statistics. It acts as a focal point for the application of lead-acid technologies in the emerging electric vehicle market. Meets two times per year – at the Annual Convention and in October during Committee Week.
Staff Liaison: Susan Bernard
Energy Storage Systems Initiative
The BCI Energy Storage Systems Initiative (ESSI) advocates for and supports the growing market for grid-connected energy storage systems by engaging federal and state regulators and utility companies to promote investment in lead battery research, development and deployment. The initiative follows the guiding policy statements:
- In considering energy storage options, federal and state policymakers should evaluate all of the following: cost, reliability, safety, performance, full life-cycle impacts, recycle rates, and scalability.
- Federally funded research into battery storage technologies should prioritize domestic battery industries, particularly those that have an established and comprehensive circular infrastructure in place.
- Utilities should be encouraged to consider battery storage options in their integrated resource planning.
- BCI supports market-driven policies that provide a framework for storage resources to participate in organized wholesale electricity markets and compete on a level playing field.
The ESSI hosts monthly virtual meetings.
Staff Liaison: Roger Miksad
Environmental Health and Safety Committee
The Environmental Health and Safety Committee maintains an awareness of, and reports to the Board of Directors, developments related to:
- Acceptable methods of waste disposal from battery factories and related operations such as lead smelter operations; and control of the establishment of allowable limits of pollutants in both air and water;
- Occupation lead exposure and like materials including the means of controlling lead in working areas;
- Materials pertaining to the safety of batteries and related products which affect the industry, including packaging and labeling as required by Federal regulations or deemed helpful by the committee.
- Product safety education programs, working in conjunction with the technical and other BCI committees, to disseminate product safety information.
The EHS Steering Committee hosts monthly virtual calls and meets in person at the Annual Convention.
Staff Liaison: Roger Miksad and Susan Bernard
Flow Battery Working Group
The BCI Flow Battery Industry Group is responsible for a broad scope of activities related to flow battery technology including among others, testing, safety, and statistics. It acts as a focal point for the application of flow batteries. The Flow Battery Industry Group:
- Maintains an awareness of, and reports to the Board of Directors, developments related to demands and opportunities for North American flow battery manufacturing.
- Develops and executes actions to promote the growth of the supply chain and market demand and to educate stakeholders.
- Develops and executes actions to promote safety protocols and best practices for flow batteries and related products which affect the industry.
- Updates and establishes standard test specifications, application and component definitions, and consensus operating terminology for flow battery systems and related equipment.
Staff Liaison: Susan Bernard
Industrial Battery Charger Committee
The Industrial Battery and Charger Technical Committee considers all matters of a technical nature affecting the industrial battery industry; and updates and establishes standard test specifications and procedures for industrial battery chargers, motive power and valve regulated standby batteries. The committee works in conjunction with the Industrial Battery Committee and other committees in developing and distributing, through publications and other channels, information on the design, manufacturing, marketing, distribution usage and disposal/recycling of industrial batteries. Meets two times per year – at the Annual Convention and in October during Committee Week.
Staff Liaison: Susan Bernard
Marketing Committee
The Marketing Committee analyzes industry trends and practices; they identify gaps in communication within the lead battery industry as well as between the lead battery industry and external parties such as consumers and regulators. They also work to establish and disseminate lead battery labeling standards to their companies. The committee is responsible for the production of BCI’s monthly newsletter, The Energy Beacon and has a subcommittee dedicated to educating lead battery retailers and scrapyards about the dangers that occur when lithium-ion batteries enter the lead battery-recycling stream. Meets two times per year – at the Annual Convention and in October during Committee Week.
Staff Liaison: Jeff Reeves
Product Information Committee
The Product Information Committee (PICOM) oversees BCI’s shipping statistics program (both transportation and industrial) as well as the BCI recycling rate report, and other ad hoc statistical publications. The committee provides all factions of the industry the opportunity to comment on product releases. Meets two times per year at the Annual Convention and in October during Committee Week.
Staff Liaison: Andrew Hamill
Technical Committee
The Technical Committee considers all matters of a technical nature affecting the industry; continues to establish and update standard test specifications and procedures for all classes of batteries manufactured for which our membership has a need; and works in conjunction with the Product Information and other committees to develop and distribute, through publications and other channels, information on the design, manufacturing, marketing, distribution usage and disposal/recycling of lead-acid batteries. Meetings four times per year – Late-January/early-February, at the Annual Convention, late-July/early-August, and in October during Committee Week.
Staff Liaison: Susan Bernard
For more information about joining a BCI Committee, contact info@batterycouncil.org
I was fascinated by the many facets of lead batteries that I never knew existed…