• • • BATTERIES & CHARGERS • • •
2. Mandatory recycled content targets for cobalt, lead, lithium and nickel
• This will be applicable several months after the disclosure requirement. The percentage share of these raw materials shall be measured against a methodology adopted by the Commission through delegated acts.
This requirement is subject to third-party verification.
Restrictions on
hazardous substances The Batteries Regulation restricts the use in batteries of certain substances listed in Annex I to the Batteries Regulation. This Annex I can be amended by the Commission through delegated acts if there is an unacceptable risk to human health or the environment that is not adequately controlled and needs to be addressed on an EU- wide basis. This could overlap with the restriction of chemicals under the REACH Regulation.
Information and labelling Requirements for information and labelling include a battery passport, specific labelling, chemistry, lifetime, charging capacity, collection, hazardous substances, safety risks, electronic databases and second life data sets. These requirements aim to enhance information and traceability. By 2026, all batteries shall be labelled with some general information and marked with a separate collection symbol. At a later stage, by 2027, all batteries shall be marked with a QR code to access either: (a) a battery passport, for LMT batteries,
some industrial batteries and electric vehicles batteries; or (b) the applicable information for other batteries. Furthermore, (i) rechargeable portable batteries, LMT batteries and SLI batteries shall bear a label informing about charging capacity; (ii) non- rechargeable portable batteries shall bear a label informing about their minimum average duration when used in specific applications and say they are ‘non-rechargeable’; (iii) batteries containing a minimum heavy metal content of cadmium or lead shall be marked with a symbol; and (iv) SLI batteries shall be marked with a QR code informing about the amount of recovered cobalt, lead, lithium or nickel. The Batteries Regulation introduces another information requirement for stationary battery energy storage systems, LMT batteries and electric vehicle batteries using a battery management system. The end-user or any third party on their behalf shall be able to check the data stored in that system to determine the state of health and expected lifetime of their batteries, for purposes of evaluating the capability for further use, etc.
Batteries waste management The Batteries Regulation foresees end-of-life provisions on the basis that collection should be separate and maximised, and recycling should be efficient. Notably, it lays down provisions on a register of producers to be created at national level; extended producer responsibility; collection targets (the target for waste portable batteries is increased and a specific target is set for waste LMT batteries); take-back obligations; targets for recycling efficiency and for recovery of materials;
shipment of waste batteries; reporting to the authorities, etc. The regulation also addresses the shipment of waste batteries outside the EU.
Reporting Obligations Reporting obligations are introduced, and there are specific deadlines for implementing various aspects of the regulation, with certain requirements coming into effect in different phases from 2024 to 2028.
The applicability of these provisions varies depending on the battery type, and the regulation seeks to promote transparency, sustainability, and responsibility throughout the battery supply chain. Manufacturers, importers, and other stakeholders will need to comply with these new requirements and deadlines, with some aspects requiring third- party verification and delegated acts to specify methodologies and calculations. The applicability of these provisions varies depending on the battery type, and the regulation seeks to promote transparency, sustainability and responsibility throughout the battery supply chain. Manufacturers, importers and other stakeholders will therefore need to comply with these new requirements within the specified deadlines, with some aspects requiring third-party verification and delegated acts to specify methodologies and calculations.
Grant Gibbs, Senior Manager for Energy Storage at TÜV SÜD, a global product testing and certification organisation.
www.tuvsud.com/uk
https://www.tuvsud.com/en- us/services/testing/battery
electricalengineeringmagazine.co.uk
ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING • FEBRUARY 2025 17
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