EU Battery Regulation: Will it come into force in 2023?
According to the European Parliament report, on 9th December 2022, the Parliament and the Council reached a preliminary agreement on the revision of the EU battery legislation, which takes into account current technological developments and future challenges.
The agreed rules will cover the entire life cycle of batteries, from generation to disposal, and will apply to all types of batteries sold in the EU. These include:
Conventional device batteries
Batteries for light transportation (LMT, provide electricity to power wheeled vehicles such as electric scooters and bicycles)
Vehicle batteries (SLI, provide power for vehicle starting, lighting or ignition)
Traction batteries (EV, for powering electric road vehicles)
Industrial batteries (energy storage in the private or domestic environment, for propulsion in rail or air transport and shipping)
Before the agreement can enter into force, both the European Parliament and the Council must officially and formally approve it. According to information from circles involved, the new EU regulation could come into force in the first half of 2023 and would apply with immediate effect in all EU member states, taking into account the transition periods.
The agreement is expected to bring stricter requirements to make batteries more environmentally friendly, more efficient and longer lasting. This initiative is closely linked to the European Green Deal, the Circular Economy Action Plan and the new Industrial Strategy.
We have summarized the measures of the regulation for you:
The new regulations require manufacturers of electric vehicle batteries, LMT batteries and rechargeable industrial batteries that have a capacity greater than 2kWh to disclose their carbon footprint and display a label to that effect. Three and a half years after the implementation of the regulations, portable batteries must be designed so that they can be easily removed and replaced by consumers.
To better inform consumers, batteries will carry labels and QR codes that include information on capacity, performance, shelf life, chemical composition, and the separate collection symbol. LMT batteries, industrial batteries with a capacity of more than 2 kWh and EV batteries must also carry a digital battery passport containing information about the battery model and specific information about each battery and its use.
According to the agreement, all companies that sell batteries on the EU market, with the exception of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), are required to develop and implement a due diligence policy that meets international standards to address the social and environmental risks associated with the sourcing, processing and trading of raw materials and secondary raw materials.
Collection targets of 45% by 2023, 63% by 2027 and 73% by 2030 for portable batteries, and 51% by 2028 and 61% by 2031 for LMT batteries are set.
Minimum amounts of recovered cobalt (16%), lead (85%), lithium (6%), and nickel (6%) from manufacturing and consumer waste to be reused in new batteries.
All spent batteries, regardless of their nature, chemical composition, condition, brand or origin, must be returned free of charge by end users to collection points set up by manufacturers.
By 31st December 2030, the commission will consider whether to phase out the use of non-rechargeable portable batteries for general use.
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