Final Text for New EU Battery Regulations Approved

EU battery regulations enter final stages, awaiting publication

The European Commission, Parliament, and Council have agreed on a finalized text for new EU battery regulations set for publication later this year. The new regulations set out substantial additional requirements for importers, manufacturers, and distributors of batteries and battery-containing products in the EU. Examples of these new requirements include:

• Removability, replaceability, and repairability requirements (in many cases batteries must be repairable or replaceable by the end users or by approved independent operators)
• Battery passports (i.e., some packs will need to have an online database detailing pack info and history)
• All batteries need to undergo conformity assessments and declarations for the EU (these range from least to most stringent depending on the level of risk involved and the level of safety required)
• Supply chain due diligence requirements (should address social and environmental risks)
• Recycling requirements (i.e., new batteries must be made from a minimum percentage of recycled materials and must be recycled to recover a certain amount of material for future use)

Impacted parties will need to ensure that compliance to these new regulations is worked into business plans and product development lifecycles in the coming years, as several aspects of the new regulations are written to grow more stringent over time, including collection targets for waste portable batteries, materials recovery rates, and the percentage of recycled materials used to manufacture new cells.

The finalized text is now awaiting formal approval by the European Parliament and Council. The new regulations will enter into force 20 days after being approved, signed, and published.

How Exponent Can Help

Exponent offers expertise in numerous aspects of the design, manufacture, and testing of batteries and battery-containing devices. Our capabilities in mechanical, materials, and electrical engineering allow us to support companies in adjusting processes and plans when meeting new complex regulatory challenges. We can leverage our breadth of expertise to help address such challenges from the beginning, such as extraction of raw materials, to end-of-life issues, such as recycling or re-use.

Our battery engineers and electrochemists have helped develop and conduct customized tests for batteries and products based on the specific use and potential abuse scenarios the batteries may experience. In addition, we have automotive and vehicular expertise to support clients in the complexities involved in integrating automotive and battery engineering. We can leverage decades of experience in proper manufacturing practices and failure analysis to help our clients design and manufacture safer, more reliable products. Examples of support Exponent can offer include:

• Product design reviews and testing
• Manufacturing line audits and compliance assessment
• Corrective action and remediation support
• Abuse testing and failure analysis
• Support in battery product technical crisis management
• Battery safety and risk management support, including advice on transportation and storage of batteries/cells (including in device failure and product recall situations)