The battery passport, explained.
The EU battery passport — also called the Digital Battery Passport or battery DPP — is the digital record every EV, e-bike and industrial battery placed on the EU market must carry from 18 February 2027. This guide covers who needs one, what data goes in it, and how to get compliant — for SMEs hitting the 18 August 2026 printed-label deadline and the 18 February 2027 QR deadline, and enterprise manufacturers building the full Article 77 passport.
Three deadlines that matter
Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 entered into force on 17 August 2023. Most application dates are anchored to that date, which is why they nearly all land on the 18th.
All five categories must carry the printed/engraved label: manufacturer, category, capacity, chemistry, hazardous-substance markings and the crossed-out wheelie bin symbol. Language of each Member State you sell into.
Applies to: Every battery brand — including cordless tools, vacuums and appliances.
The QR code (data carrier) becomes mandatory on every battery in every category. For EV, LMT and industrial >2 kWh cells that same QR also gives access to the full Article 77 passport — carbon footprint, due diligence, state of health.
Applies to: QR: every battery brand. Passport: EV, LMT and industrial >2 kWh.
Cradle-to-gate CO₂-eq per kWh for portable rechargeables and SLI batteries, phased in with performance classes A–E and eventually maximum thresholds.
Applies to: Portable rechargeable and SLI battery producers.
One QR. Two payloads.
From 18 February 2027, every battery on the EU market carries a QR code — AA cell, cordless-tool pack, e-bike battery, home storage unit, EV traction pack. Same data carrier, same platform. What differs is what sits behind it.
Declaration of conformity, hazardous substances, separate-collection info, safe handling, and (from 2030 for rechargeable portables) the carbon footprint declaration. No full passport.
Same QR — but the payload is the full passport. Carbon footprint, recycled content, due diligence, state of health, second-life, Catena-X interoperability.
Which category is your battery?
Article 3 defines five categories. Only three of them need the full passport.
What data goes in a battery passport?
The full Article 77 passport carries more than a typical datasheet — including data that has to come from upstream suppliers and be updated over the battery's service life.
- Unique identificationPer-battery serial, GTIN, manufacturer, model, date of manufacture.
- Chemistry & compositionCathode/anode materials, electrolyte, hazardous substances.
- PerformanceRated capacity, voltage, cycle life, energy density.
- Carbon footprintCradle-to-gate CO₂-eq per kWh (ISO 14067 / EU PEFCR).
- Recycled contentPercentages for cobalt, lithium, nickel and lead.
- Due diligenceOECD-aligned supply-chain records for critical minerals.
- State of healthCapacity fade, impedance, cycle count — updated over service life.
- End-of-lifeTake-back, dismantling and recycling information.
Two paths, one platform
If you make portable batteries — cordless-tool packs, vacuum batteries, appliance batteries, household electronics — you need the printed label by 18 August 2026 and the QR by 18 February 2027. No passport, no carbon footprint (yet). SmartLinks Start ships both on one label run.
Explore SmartLinks Start · BatteryFor EV, LMT and industrial >2 kWh batteries — the full passport with carbon footprint, due diligence, state of health from your BMS, and Catena-X interoperability for automotive OEMs. We scope, integrate and run it with you.
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