Power2Drive 2024: Trade Fair Defies E-Mobility Slump with Record Number of Exhibitors

The energy and e-mobility fair The smarter E Europe has opened its doors in Munich and is focusing entirely on renewable energy supply 24/7 in 2024. 3,048 registered exhibitors are showcasing their innovative products and solutions across 206,000 square meters in 19 exhibition halls and an outdoor area. This provides The smarter E Europe with ample space to discuss current trends, technologies, and business models, and to accelerate the cross-sector and cross-industry implementation of a sustainable energy world.

“This requires collaborative long-term planning that includes all sectors and stakeholders, as well as investments in grid infrastructure and the necessary storage to unlock higher shares of renewable energy across the entire economy,” advocates Rana Adib, Executive Director at REN21.

Particularly interesting for the mobility sector is the sub-fair Power2Drive. The e-mobility boom continues globally, and increased momentum is expected in the coming years despite the current slump in Germany. The expansion of the charging infrastructure must keep pace with the market ramp-up of battery electric vehicles.

"On one hand, there is a dynamic market, on the other, a new awareness of the urgency of more sustainability, and finally, a challenging legal framework," says Maciej Mazur, President of the industry association AVERE, addressing the central challenges in the field of electromobility.

In order to find solutions to the current challenges, the trade fair aims to bring together decision-makers in e-mobility and make the dynamism of the industry directly tangible: Around 450 exhibitors represent an increase of about 70 percent compared to the previous year, and the exhibition space has grown by approximately 80 percent to 26,500 square meters. In the outdoor area, companies are presenting charging solutions for fleets and intelligent solutions for connecting cost-effective electricity generation from renewable energy with sustainable mobility, such as solar canopies for parking lots. To make electromobility directly experienceable for trade fair visitors, the test drives will also take place this year.

ees Europe 2024: The Decade of Battery Storage

Particularly interesting is also the coupling of the mobility sector with energy storage. Because: Energy storage is booming. Florian Mayr, Committee Chair of the ees Europe Conference, speaks of an "energy storage decade." According to Frontier Economics, the volume of grid-connected storage in Germany will increase to 60 GW/271 GWh by 2050, which corresponds to a forty-fold increase in current capacity. Similar cost reductions and growth rates as with PV are expected. Soon, energy storage could fundamentally change energy supply. Patrick Clerens, Secretary General of the European Association for Storage of Energy (EASE), emphasizes: "For the energy storage industry, creating a fair, future-oriented, and sustainable energy market design that recognizes energy storage as an essential element of the energy system is a priority.”