The battery passport is the EU's first mandatory Digital Product Passport. Under Article 77 of the Battery Regulation (EU) 2023/1542, from 18 February 2027 every battery placed on the market with a capacity above 2 kWh must carry a unique digital passport, accessible via a QR code.
Who does it apply to?
- EV batteries (traction batteries for electric vehicles).
- Industrial batteries above 2 kWh (e.g. energy storage systems).
- LMT batteries (light means of transport: e-scooters, e-bikes).
The obligation falls on the manufacturer / the party placing the product on the market — including the importer, where the product is brought in from outside the EU.
What does the battery passport contain?
The content is set by Annex XIII of the Regulation, while DIN DKE SPEC 99100 provides practical content guidance. The main data groups are:
- General: manufacturer identity and contact, place and date of manufacture, category, model.
- Material composition: cell chemistry (e.g. NMC, LFP), hazardous substances, critical raw materials, recycled content per material (cobalt, lithium, nickel, lead).
- Performance and durability: capacity, energy content, voltage window, internal resistance, expected lifetime, round-trip efficiency.
- Carbon footprint: the total carbon footprint (kgCO₂e/kWh) and supporting documentation.
- Safety: handling precautions, hazardous-substance markings.
- Individual battery data (dynamic): state of charge (SOC), state of health (SOH), cycle count, usage log, adverse events.
- Lifecycle: dismantling and recycling instructions, waste-management information.
Static vs. dynamic data
A distinctive feature of the battery passport is that it also contains dynamic data: state of health (SOH) and cycle count change over the course of use. Alongside model-level (static) data, you therefore have to manage instance-level, evolving data — a technical challenge that the DPP platform must support.
Access groups
Not everyone sees the same thing:
- Public / consumer: basic data, warranty, recycling guidance.
- Authorised persons (e.g. technicians): dismantling instructions, state data.
- Authorities and certification bodies: the full Annex XIII content.
Catena-X interoperability
In the automotive supply chain, Catena-X / Eclipse Tractus-X EcoPass KIT (Battery Pass v6.0.0) is the de facto data-exchange model. A well-designed DPP platform exports an issued passport to a Catena-X-compatible format in a single click — without requiring a full EDC connector integration.
How to prepare
1. Assess Annex XIII coverage — which fields are missing? 2. Collect carbon-footprint and recycled-content data — these are the longest lead times. 3. Pilot: run the full process for one cell chemistry (e.g. an NMC EV pack). 4. Signing: ensure eIDAS-compliant authentication. 5. Process: who updates the dynamic data, and how is re-issuance handled (second-life, remanufactured)?
Frequently asked questions
Is a passport required for batteries below 2 kWh?
The mandatory passport applies to industrial batteries above 2 kWh and to EV and LMT batteries; below the threshold, other provisions (labelling, registration) may apply.
Is a passport required per cell or per pack?
At pack/item level — with the cell data embedded. DIN DKE SPEC 99100 does not require a DPP per cell.
What about used or remanufactured batteries?
Re-issuance: a new passport with a new serial number, referencing the previous one (`predecessor`).
The 2027 deadline is closer than it looks. ReadyPass provides a turnkey, eIDAS-trustworthy battery passport platform — with full Annex XIII coverage and Catena-X export.
Sources: Battery Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 Art. 77 + Annex XIII; DIN DKE SPEC 99100; Catena-X EcoPass KIT Battery Pass v6.0.0.
