EU Battery Regulation: Label, recycling and the like – these rules will apply in future
As different as a vehicle with a combustion engine and an electric car are, they do have one thing in common: both require a battery. While the combustion engine uses a starter battery, the electric vehicle gets its energy from a traction battery. Of course, as workshop professionals you know this. But are you also aware of how to properly dispose of the different kinds of batteries at the end of their life cycle in order to preserve the valuable raw materials contained in the batteries in the circular economy? Or what you need to look out for when removing the different types of battery? So as to ensure greater clarity, safety and sustainability when it comes to batteries in the future, the European Council has launched the new Battery Regulation.
Why has the Battery Regulation been amended?
A life without batteries is now unimaginable – and indeed they are the things that literally get mobility moving. Studies assume that the demand for batteries will probably increase tenfold by 2030, fuelled by the increasing number of electric cars, among other things. The growing battery market has prompted the EU to take action: the new directive is intended to ensure greater clarity in the manufacture, use and recycling of batteries and old, used batteries.
What is the aim of the new Battery Regulation?
With the new regulation, the EU is primarily tightening the sustainability regulations for batteries and also for old, used batteries. The aim is to create a circular economy for the battery sector. Resources and the environment should be conserved in all phases of the battery life cycle – from production to recycling. This means, for example, that raw materials obtained from old batteries are used in the manufacture of new rechargeable batteries. If you've ever wondered what recyclable raw materials are actually contained in an average 400 kg lithium-ion battery, here's the answer:
• Graphite: 33 kg
• Cobalt: 12 kg
• Nickel: 12 kg
• Manganese: 11 kg
• Lithium: 4 kg
In addition to plastics, aluminium and copper from the battery housing, for example, can also be found.
One of the most important new features: instead of the previous three, the new battery regulation refers to a total of five battery types:
• Conventional small batteries (portable batteries)
• New: batteries for lightweight means of transport (e.g. e-bikes) as a new type of battery (LMT batteries)
• Vehicle batteries for starting, lighting and ignition of vehicles (SLI batteries)
• New: traction batteries for powering electric cars and other road vehicles (electric vehicle batteries; EV batteries)
• Industrial batteries for energy storage and for powering industrial vehicles (industrial batteries)
What will change as a result of the new battery regulation?
The new battery regulation places manufacturers and dealers under certain obligations. Regardless of type, all batteries must carry labels that provide information on their capacity, performance, longevity and chemical composition. In addition, all batteries must be labelled with a symbol indicating correct disposal.
For LMT batteries, EV batteries and rechargeable industrial batteries with an energy capacity of over 2 kilowatt hours (kWh), there will also be the digital battery passport in the form of a QR code. This battery passport must include, among other things, information on the battery's CO2 footprint, its composition and also details on how to remove it, with all such details having to be retrievable.
What does the new battery regulation mean for workshops?
The new battery regulation is good news for independent workshops: in future, they will be authorised to service and repair batteries in electric vehicles. The directive stipulates that batteries for electric vehicles must be removable and replaceable. Manufacturers must provide workshop specialists with all the information required for repair and replacement and grant them the necessary access for on-board diagnostics.
And what is Euro 7 all about?
In connection with batteries and the motor vehicle market, another term is often mentioned at the moment: the Euro 7 emissions standard. According to the current status, new car models registered for the first time from 2026 onwards must fulfil the requirements of this standard. This includes the durability of batteries in electric cars: after five years, the battery’s state of health must be at least 80 per cent and after eight years or 160,000 km at least 70 per cent. On the one hand, this should protect the vehicle owners from a loss in value of their cars and, on the other hand, it should also improve the CO2 balance of traction batteries.
