National Battery Day

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!

Essential Energy Powering Our Lives and Economy

Why celebrate National Battery Day (NBD) on February 18? There’s an “electrifying” reason. It’s the anniversary of Alessandro Volta’s birth in 1745. The Italian physicist and chemist invented the electric battery, which is playing a prominent role in electrifying our world.

Today, domestically produced storage batteries are used by a wide range of industries, households and the government to support day-to-day activities and critical operations.

This essential technology not only energizes our daily lives, but also yields significant economic impact, as highlighted in a recent report, “The Battery Fueled Economy: US Domestic and Supported Canadian Activity,” prepared by EBP.

us battery industry economic impact infographic

The U.S. battery industry powers roughly $10 trillion worth of domestic industrial economic output annually, or 21% of the U.S. economy. Plus, the industry provides nearly 54 million U.S. jobs that are related to, or reliant on, the battery industry.

“The battery manufacturing industry is a hidden engine of economic growth for communities all across North America,” said Roger Miksad, President and Executive Director of BCI, the leading trade association for the battery industry. “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.”

Download the NEW U.S. Battery Industry Economic Impact Infographic

Building on the Proven Foundation of Lead Batteries

On National Battery Day (NBD), it’s particularly important to highlight the rich history of lead battery manufacturers and recyclers. Battery Council International has 100+ years of leadership as the industry’s primary trade association, and some of our members have been making lead batteries in the U.S. for even longer than that!

While there is a wide array of battery chemistries and continued innovation and research into new energy storage technology, the stalwart lead battery provides a model for a successful circular economy of lead batteries. As the world moves toward electrification, the demand for all battery types is growing exponentially and safe, reliable and infinitely recyclable lead batteries show the right way to build a resilient domestic battery supply chain.

Powering the Future Through a Variety of Applications

Domestic supply chains. Our transportation system relies on batteries to move goods and materials via rail, air, ship and highways. Battery-powered forklifts to keep commerce on track and are an integral part of logistics and warehousing, supporting resilient domestic supply chains.
Transportation. In the U.S., Americans rely on more than 290 million cars and trucks to take us where we want to go for work and play. You may know that lithium batteries power the drive trains of innovative new electric vehicles, but did you know that nearly every vehicle on the roads — including EVs — is also powered by a lead battery for auxiliary power?
Charging (and Fast Charging) Stations. Batteries are also a critical part in the transition to EVs through support of fast-charging stations that put the “juice” into modern vehicles, from EVs to plug-in hybrids.

Telecom and data centers. In a digital age, downtime is a killer for all businesses. Emergency backups and uninterruptable power sources keep local servers running, as well as support massive data networks used by the world’s biggest telecoms. Energy storage solutions are critical to keeping us connected!
Emergency Power. Hospitals and first responders also rely on emergency batteries for back-up power during outages and to deploy lighting and other mobile electronics.
Renewable Energy Storage. It’s well-documented that alternative energy generation peaks at one time… and energy usage peaks at another. Grid-scale energy storage is critical to bridge the gap between when the wind is blowing or sun is shining and when power is actually needed.

Celebrate by Sharing the NBD Logo

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.

Download the NBD Logo