Batteries are so central to powering our daily lives, they’ve earned their own holiday. Every year on February 18, we celebrate the importance of batteries as a key component in the global economy, and the role BCI’s members play in supporting critical applications ranging from cars and trucks to data center backups to forklifts to grid-scale energy storage… and much more!
In support of National Battery Day every February 18, Battery Council International is proud to partner with Sir Chargewell—our mascot and educational ambassador sharing how batteries power our world! With his electrifying personality, Sir Chargewell embodies BCI’s commitment to making battery education engaging and accessible. He demystifies energy storage technology, highlights batteries’ critical economic role, and champions industry innovation.
National Battery Day falls on February 18 to mark the birthday of Alessandro Volta, the Italian physicist and chemist who invented the electric battery in 1745. Today, his groundbreaking innovation powers a remarkable $8.1 trillion in industrial output annually—20% of the nation’s economy—while creating 106,000 direct industry jobs and $35 billion in nationwide business output.
From hospitals and data centers to warehouses and renewable energy systems, batteries are the quiet force behind everyday life—so essential they’ve earned their own holiday. And who better to help us celebrate than Sir Chargewell, who reminds us that from Volta’s invention to today’s advanced energy storage, batteries have always enabled progress.
On National Battery Day, we celebrate both where we’ve been and where we’re going. Our industry is built on over a century of lead battery innovation, the foundational technology for new battery chemistries from lithium ion to sodium ion to flow batteries.
Battery Council International has provided 100+ years of leadership, and some members have manufactured batteries even longer.
The future brings growth across battery chemistries. As electrification accelerates, BCI invests in next-generation research, workforce development, and BCI Foundation scholarships. Sir Chargewell reminds us that batteries are essential energy powering progress, prosperity, and innovation.
Domestically produced storage batteries are used by a wide range of industries, households, and government agencies to support day-to-day activities and critical operations. According to EBP, the U.S. lead battery industry powers:
The stalwart lead battery also achieves a 99% recycling rate, providing a proven model for a successful circular economy. This circular economy is sustainable, and provides a robust domestic supply chain for North America free from foreign influence.
The battery manufacturing industry is a hidden engine of economic growth for communities across North America. Cars and trucks, data centers, forklifts, renewable energy storage, and more rely on batteries every day to provide the essential energy that powers the modern economy. Sir Chargewell puts it simply: batteries aren’t just components—they’re the essential energy that keeps America charged up and ready to go!
To celebrate National Battery Day, Sir Chargewell is on a mission to share all the ways batteries power virtually every aspect of modern life:
Lead batteries achieve a 99% recycling rate, making them the world’s most recycled consumer product. Their materials are reused repeatedly, supporting a truly circular economy and demonstrating responsible building—safe and reliable from the start.
In 2025, lead was designated a critical mineral because of its critical role in powering the domestic economy. Batteries are essential in a wide range of applications, from transportation to telecom to national defense. Check out BCI’s Interactive Member Map to see where batteries are made and recycled onshore in North America.
Batteries power submarines, sonobuoys, military base microgrids, and soldier-portable systems like night vision and communications equipment. From undersea surveillance to forward-deployed operations, batteries ensure mission-critical reliability, supporting America’s defense infrastructure and national security worldwide.
In hospitals, backup batteries keep life support, operating rooms, and patient monitoring running. For first responders, batteries power communication devices, emergency lighting, and vital medical equipment. During emergencies, battery systems provide safety, stability, and hope.
Energy storage is America’s digital infrastructure backbone. From AI data centers to hospitals and telecom networks, batteries deliver reliability and resilience. With electricity demand quadrupling by 2030, diverse technologies—lead, flow, lithium, sodium, zinc—balance supply and demand.
While EVs are known for battery drive trains, every internal combustion vehicle depends on legacy battery technology for starting engines, running auxiliary systems and more. Batteries connect every journey.
Data centers rely on UPS batteries preventing costly outages, while telecommunications networks depend on batteries keeping cell towers and communication hubs online during grid failures. In a digital economy, batteries keep the world connected.
Join us May 3-6 in Nashville for the 2026 BCI Convention + Power Mart Expo. The BCI Convention is the premier gathering for the global battery industry. For more than 100 years, BCI has united leaders, innovators, policymakers, and decision-makers to exchange insights, build partnerships, and shape the future of energy storage.
Every day is a good day to celebrate battery technology. We invite anyone to use this logo – available in static or animated GIF formats – at no cost. It replicates a growing “smart” cityscape formed from various battery types representing the role batteries play in powering our everyday lives and future.
On National Battery Day we recognize the power behind our lives. As the world moves to reach low carbon goals, we highlight the benefits of...
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February 16, 2023
For more than a century, lead batteries have powered progress. Their proven resilience and sustainability will make them indispensable to the future of energy.
