Question 1

What is a digital battery passport?

Accepted Answer

It is a structured, machine-readable record — reachable via a QR code printed or etched on the battery — that carries the battery’s identity, chemistry, carbon footprint, material composition, supply-chain due diligence and state of health. Article 77 of Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 makes it a legal requirement for batteries placed on the EU market.

Question 2

When does the battery passport become mandatory?

Accepted Answer

From 18 February 2027. Every EV battery, LMT battery and industrial battery above 2 kWh placed on the EU market from that date must carry a conformant digital passport as a condition of market access.

Question 3

Which batteries are in scope?

Accepted Answer

Three categories: electric-vehicle (traction) batteries, light means of transport (LMT) batteries such as e-bikes, e-scooters and e-mopeds, and industrial batteries with a capacity greater than 2 kWh — including stationary storage and second-life packs re-entering the market.

Question 4

What data must the passport contain?

Accepted Answer

The six categories defined in Annex XIII: identification; carbon footprint; materials and composition including recycled content; supply-chain due diligence; performance and durability; and circularity including live state of health and dismantling information.

Question 5

Who can access the passport data?

Accepted Answer

Access is tiered by design. A public tier is visible to anyone who scans the QR code; a restricted tier serves parties with a legitimate interest — repairers, recyclers, remanufacturers and notified bodies; and a full tier is reserved for market-surveillance authorities and the European Commission. One caveat worth knowing: the implementing act under Article 77(9) that defines exactly who qualifies as a person with a legitimate interest was due by 18 August 2026 and has not been adopted, so the middle tier is not yet legally settled.

Question 6

What is the difference from a Digital Product Passport?

Accepted Answer

The battery passport is the first and most detailed application of the broader Digital Product Passport (DPP) concept introduced under the EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation. Batteries lead because their regulation, 2023/1542, is already in force with a fixed passport deadline.

Question 7

How is the QR code linked to the data?

Accepted Answer

Each battery gets a globally unique identifier bound to a QR data carrier, resolved through GS1 Digital Link. Scanning routes the reader to the correct passport and the tier they are entitled to see, on any standard smartphone.

Question 8

What happens if I do not comply?

Accepted Answer

Without a conformant passport a battery cannot legally be placed on the EU market. Member States set penalties, which may include fines and withdrawal of products from the market. In commercial terms, no passport means no sale.

Question 9

How does Battery Digital Passport keep me compliant over time?

Accepted Answer

Battery Digital Passport maintains the Annex XIII data model against the regulation’s delegated acts, enforces the access tiers per field, signs each declaration, updates state-of-health data across the battery’s life, and guarantees the passport stays resolvable — even after your operating entity changes.

Battery passport, answered.

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