From February 2027, batteries in the European market will require a mandatory digital battery passport
From February 2027, batteries in the European market for EVs, industrial applications and light means of transport will require a mandatory digital battery passport under new EU legislation
The legislation reflects a shift in how battery data is collected and governed and changes how EV OEMs, battery manufacturers, and industrial players handle data across the lifecycle.
The battery passport will act as a digital identity record for a battery, designed to follow it throughout its lifecycle, from raw material source and manufacture, through in-service use, to reuse, repurpose or recycle.
The requirement is set out in the EU Batteries Regulation (EU 2023/1542), which mandates that from 18 February 2027, EV batteries, light means of transport batteries and industrial batteries above 2kWh must carry a digital passport to be placed on the EU market.
The passport will contain structured, standardised information including raw material origin and supply chain data; carbon footprint and sustainability metrics; performance and state-of-health indicators; usage history and lifecycle data; repairability and end-of-life handling guidance; and unique identifiers linked to compliance documentation. This will enable each battery to become a traceable digital asset rather than a standalone hardware component.
The regulation will require continuous, high-quality data flows across multiple stakeholders, geographies and stages of a battery’s lifecycle.
Key data challenges include collecting real-time performance and usage data from vehicles and industrial assets, ensuring cross-border interoperability with global standards, retaining long-term historical records, integrating with OEM, fleet, recycling, and regulatory systems and securing sensitive information while enabling controlled data sharing.
To implement these battery passports, companies will need robust systems to collect, organise, and share battery data across the entire lifecycle, from production to recycling.
China is also introducing its own battery safety and performance standards, which will partially overlap with the EU approach, but diverge on reporting formats, safety metrics, and performance thresholds.
For global OEMs and operators, this means systems need to simultaneously support multiple standards, data architecture must be adaptable and scalable, and operational processes must reconcile regional differences without duplicating effort.
Global fragmentation intensifies pressure on digital infrastructure and underscores the strategic importance of integrated telematics and data platforms.
For fleets and public transport operators where batteries are essential operational assets, battery performance affects uptime, maintenance scheduling, and total cost of ownership.
Lifecycle transparency affects resale and second-life applications; compliance becomes a factor in procurement and financing; and battery health data must be accessible, shareable, and verifiable across stakeholders. This means that battery data becomes regulated, operationally relevant infrastructure data.
Telematics and operational data platforms will become critical for managing batteries under the new passport rules, enabling companies to collect and track data from vehicles and batteries in real time, and provide a clear view of performance, health, and overall lifecycle. They also facilitate remote diagnostics, software updates, and predictive maintenance, preventing issues before they occur.
These platforms enable data to be secure, standardised, and auditable, so it can be shared with regulators, OEMs, or fleet operators as needed. They turn battery data into a practical, usable asset that supports compliance and improves fleet efficiency and decision-making.
Platforms like ODOS demonstrate how these challenges can be addressed in practice. As part of the wider data infrastructure, they connect real-time data from vehicles and batteries with third-party systems and provide analytics and remote management tools; they ensure that battery data is structured throughout its lifecycle. Built on secure, scalable cloud architectures, these platforms can provide the digital foundation needed to support regulatory requirements and enhance operational maturity.
The real challenge presented by the battery passport will involve managing the data behind it, as companies will need to capture accurate, traceable information throughout the entire lifecycle of a battery from design and production through in-service use to end-of-life.
That data must be structured, verifiable, and compatible across different systems, enabling it to be shared securely with regulators, OEMs, recyclers, and service providers. Organisations must also be able to handle real-time and historical performance data, ensuring it is reliable and auditable when needed.
