Look around any distribution center and you'll see dozens of devices powered by batteries. They range from large-scale cells in electric forklifts, to mid-size units in autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), to slim, palm-size batteries in barcode scanners and smartphones. Despite the ubiquity of these applications, there is more work to be done. That's why a battery-industry group has launched an initiative it hopes will encourage the next generation of engineers to continue developing smaller, safer, more powerful industrial batteries.Battery Council International (BCI) has established a charitable foundation to help support future leaders in the energy-storage industry. The foundation will initially focus on scholarship awards for the 2025-2026 school year. Those scholarships include the BCI Battery Chemistry and STEM Scholarship, which will distribute $5,000 to individuals studying electrochemistry, engineering, mathematics, or a related technical discipline that will support energy-storage applications.The effort is funded by donations from BCI member companies, including the lead donors Entek and Daramic, as well as gifts from more than a dozen other companies, including such distribution center stalwarts as Crown Battery, East Penn, and EnerSys.
