Glossary

Battery passport glossary

One term, one definition. The vocabulary of the EU Battery Regulation and Digital Product Passports, explained plainly.

Annex XIII: Annex XIII of Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 lists the information that must be available in the battery passport and via QR code. It also distinguishes which information is accessible to the general public versus to persons with a legitimate interest, the Commission, and notified bodies. The annex is the authoritative content checklist for what a compliant battery passport must contain.
Anode: The anode is the negative electrode of a battery, where oxidation occurs during discharge; in most commercial lithium-ion cells the anode is made of graphite, which stores lithium ions during charging. Natural graphite is one of the raw materials explicitly named in the due-diligence obligations of Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 because of the social and environmental risks linked to its sourcing. Emerging silicon and lithium-metal anodes aim to raise energy density beyond what graphite allows.
Article 77: Article 77 of Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 is the provision that establishes the battery passport. Article 77(1) requires that, from 18 February 2027, each LMT battery, industrial battery with a capacity greater than 2 kWh, and electric vehicle battery placed on the market or put into service has an electronic record — a battery passport — that corresponds to each individual battery. The passport must be unique to a single physical battery, not a model, type, or lot.
Battery energy storage system (BESS): A battery energy storage system (BESS) is a stationary installation that stores electrical energy in batteries for later discharge, used for grid balancing, peak shaving, and integrating renewable generation. Under Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 the batteries within a stationary BESS generally fall under the industrial battery category, so units with a capacity greater than 2 kWh require a battery passport from 18 February 2027. Stationary storage is also a leading destination for second-life batteries, where former EV modules are reused after their automotive duty.
Battery management system (BMS): A battery management system (BMS) is the electronic system that monitors and manages a rechargeable battery, controlling parameters such as cell voltages, temperature, current, and state of charge to keep the battery within safe operating limits. Under Regulation (EU) 2023/1542, LMT, industrial (above 2 kWh), and electric vehicle batteries must record data needed to determine state of health and expected lifetime, and that data must be accessible to authorised parties so it can feed into the battery passport.
Battery passport: A battery passport is an electronic record uniquely linked to a single physical battery, required under Article 77 of Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 from 18 February 2027 for LMT batteries, industrial batteries above 2 kWh, and electric vehicle batteries. It holds the information set out in Annex XIII, is reached through a QR code and a unique identifier, and exposes data in access tiers ranging from public to authority-only. The battery passport is the sector-specific form of the EU digital product passport.
Carbon footprint declaration: The carbon footprint declaration is a document, required by Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 for electric vehicle batteries, rechargeable industrial batteries above 2 kWh, and LMT batteries, that states the battery’s carbon footprint calculated over its life cycle and broken down by life-cycle stage. The requirement is phased in by battery category according to dates set in the Regulation and its delegated acts, and the declaration must follow the Commission’s harmonised calculation methodology. A summary of the carbon footprint is part of the public information available through the battery passport.
Cathode: The cathode is the positive electrode of a battery, where reduction occurs during discharge; in lithium-ion cells it is the lithium-bearing material that largely determines energy density, cost, and the choice of critical raw materials. Common cathode chemistries include nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) and lithium iron phosphate (LFP). Because cathode materials are the main source of cobalt, lithium, and nickel in a cell, they drive the recycled-content, due-diligence, and material-recovery requirements of Regulation (EU) 2023/1542.
Cobalt: Cobalt is a critical raw material used in many lithium-ion cathodes, notably NMC, to improve stability and energy density. It is one of the four materials — alongside natural graphite, lithium, and nickel — explicitly named in the battery due-diligence obligations of Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 because of the documented social and environmental risks in its supply chain. Cobalt is also subject to minimum recycled-content and material-recovery targets that phase in under the Regulation.
Conformity assessment: Conformity assessment is the process of demonstrating that a battery meets the requirements of Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 before it is placed on the market. The manufacturer must apply the conformity assessment procedure (module) set out in the Regulation, which for many requirements involves a notified body, and on success draws up the EU declaration of conformity and affixes the CE marking. Successful conformity assessment is a precondition for lawfully placing a battery on the EU market.
Cycle life: Cycle life is the number of complete charge-discharge cycles a battery can deliver before its usable capacity falls below a defined threshold, commonly 80% of the original rating. It is a core durability metric that the performance and durability requirements of Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 address for rechargeable batteries. Cycle life depends heavily on chemistry, depth of discharge, temperature, and charging behaviour.
Data carrier: A data carrier is the machine-readable symbol — for batteries, a QR code conforming to ISO/IEC 18004 — that is printed, marked, or engraved on the battery and links to the battery passport and its unique identifier. Under Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 the data carrier gives access to the information held in the passport according to the relevant access tier. The data carrier is the physical bridge between the object and its digital record.
Declaration of conformity (DoC): The EU declaration of conformity (DoC) is the document by which the manufacturer declares, under sole responsibility, that a battery meets the applicable requirements of Regulation (EU) 2023/1542. Drawing it up is a legal obligation before placing the battery on the market, it must follow the model structure set out in the Regulation’s annex, and by signing it the manufacturer assumes responsibility for the battery’s compliance. The DoC must be kept available to authorities for the period specified in the Regulation.
Depth of discharge (DoD): Depth of discharge (DoD) is the proportion of a battery’s capacity that has been discharged, expressed as a percentage — the complement of state of charge. Operating a battery at shallower depths of discharge generally extends its cycle life, which is why charge-management strategies limit DoD to preserve longevity. DoD and cycle-count data contribute to the state-of-health assessment that informs repurposing and second-life decisions under Regulation (EU) 2023/1542.
Digital product passport (DPP): A digital product passport (DPP) is a structured, machine-readable electronic record holding information about a product’s identity, characteristics, materials, and life cycle, accessible through a data carrier such as a QR code. The general DPP framework is established under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 (ESPR), which lets the Commission introduce passports for many product groups. The EU battery passport, required under Regulation (EU) 2023/1542, is the first sector-specific implementation of the digital product passport concept.
Due diligence: Battery due diligence under Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 is the obligation on economic operators that place batteries on the market to identify, prevent, and address actual and potential social and environmental risks linked to the sourcing, processing, and trading of raw materials used in batteries — in particular cobalt, natural graphite, lithium, and nickel. Operators must adopt a due diligence policy aligned with recognised international instruments, verify it through third parties, and report on it. The obligation applies above the turnover threshold and subject to the exemptions set in the Regulation, and a summary of the due diligence report is part of the public passport information.
Economic operator: Under Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 an economic operator is any of the manufacturer, authorised representative, importer, distributor, or fulfilment service provider, or any other natural or legal person subject to obligations relating to the manufacture, preparation for re-use, repurposing, remanufacturing, or making available of batteries. Economic operators carry the compliance duties of the Regulation, including drawing up the declaration of conformity and ensuring the battery passport is created and kept up to date. The specific role determines which obligations apply.
Electrolyte: The electrolyte is the medium that carries ions between the anode and cathode inside a battery while blocking electron flow, which is instead routed through the external circuit. In conventional lithium-ion cells the electrolyte is a liquid lithium-salt solution in organic solvents, whereas solid-state designs replace it with a solid conductor to improve safety and energy density. Electrolyte composition affects battery safety classification and the hazardous-substance information relevant under Regulation (EU) 2023/1542.
End-of-life: End-of-life refers to the stage at which a battery becomes waste and falls under the collection, treatment, and recycling obligations of Regulation (EU) 2023/1542. The Regulation sets collection targets, recycling efficiency targets, and material recovery rates for materials such as cobalt, copper, lead, lithium, and nickel. End-of-life is distinct from repurposing and second life, which extend a battery’s use before it becomes waste; once a battery reaches end of life its passport reflects that its lifecycle has ceased.
Energy density: Energy density is the amount of energy a battery stores relative to its mass (gravimetric, Wh/kg) or volume (volumetric, Wh/L), determining how much range or runtime a given size and weight can deliver. It is shaped chiefly by cell chemistry, with high-nickel NMC favouring energy density and LFP favouring cost and longevity. Energy and capacity characteristics are among the general battery characteristics surfaced in the public tier of the battery passport.
ESPR (Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation): The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (EU) 2024/1781, known as ESPR, is the EU framework regulation that sets ecodesign requirements for products and establishes the horizontal legal basis for the digital product passport. It empowers the Commission to adopt product-specific delegated acts setting performance and information requirements and DPP obligations for successive product groups. ESPR provides the general DPP architecture, while the Battery Regulation (2023/1542) delivers the first concrete, mandatory passport ahead of ESPR’s own product passports.
EV battery (electric vehicle battery): Under Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 an electric vehicle battery is a battery specifically designed to provide traction in hybrid or electric vehicles of categories L, M, N, and O, and which is not a portable or LMT battery. EV batteries are subject to the strictest set of requirements, including the carbon footprint declaration, recycled content requirements, performance and durability rules, and the battery passport obligation that applies from 18 February 2027.
Extended producer responsibility (EPR): Extended producer responsibility (EPR) is the principle, applied through Regulation (EU) 2023/1542, that producers bear financial and organisational responsibility for batteries across their life cycle, including collection, treatment, recycling, and reporting once they become waste. Producers must register, fund collection and treatment, meet collection and recycling-efficiency targets, and may discharge these duties through a producer responsibility organisation. EPR is the mechanism that internalises end-of-life costs and underpins the Regulation’s circular-economy goals.
Gigafactory: A gigafactory is a large-scale battery cell and pack manufacturing plant, named for its annual production capacity measured in gigawatt-hours (GWh). Gigafactories are central to the EU industrial strategy for batteries, and their output is directly subject to Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 obligations including carbon footprint declaration, recycled content, conformity assessment, and — from 18 February 2027 — the battery passport for in-scope categories.
GS1 Digital Link: GS1 Digital Link is a standard that expresses GS1 identification keys, such as the GTIN, as a web URI so that a single QR code can both identify a product and resolve to online information about it. It is widely used to connect a data carrier to a digital product passport, allowing one scan to reach human- and machine-readable data. GS1 Digital Link is a common technical option for implementing the link between a battery’s QR code and its passport, used alongside the unique identifier required by the Regulation.
Industrial battery: Under Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 an industrial battery is a battery designed for industrial uses — and, residually, any battery that is neither a portable, LMT, EV, nor starting-lighting-ignition (SLI) battery, excluding very small portable categories. The battery passport obligation under Article 77 applies to industrial batteries with a capacity greater than 2 kWh from 18 February 2027. Industrial batteries are also subject to carbon footprint, recycled content, and performance requirements that phase in by category.
Legitimate interest: Legitimate interest is the access tier in Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 that lets defined parties — such as repairers, remanufacturers, second-life operators, and recyclers — see more detailed battery passport data than the general public, without being a market surveillance authority or the Commission. Annex XIII specifies which data attributes are reserved for persons with a legitimate interest. The tier is intended to support repair, reuse, and recycling while keeping commercially or security-sensitive data out of fully public view.
Lithium: Lithium is the active alkali metal at the heart of lithium-ion chemistry, shuttling between anode and cathode to store and release energy. It is one of the raw materials named in the due-diligence obligations of Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 and is subject to recycled-content and end-of-life material-recovery targets, with a lithium recovery target phasing in under the Regulation. Securing sustainable lithium supply is a central concern of EU battery and critical-raw-materials policy.
Lithium iron phosphate (LFP): Lithium iron phosphate (LFP) is a lithium-ion cathode chemistry that contains no cobalt or nickel, offering strong thermal stability, long cycle life, and lower cost at the expense of energy density compared with NMC. Its growing use in electric vehicles and stationary storage reduces exposure to cobalt and nickel supply risk, though lithium sourcing remains subject to the due-diligence obligations of Regulation (EU) 2023/1542. LFP packs are common in entry-level EVs and battery energy storage systems.
LMT battery (light means of transport): An LMT battery, as defined in Regulation (EU) 2023/1542, is a battery in vehicles that can be powered by an electric motor alone or by a combination of motor and human power and that have a maximum weight below the threshold set in the Regulation — typically electric bikes, scooters, and similar light means of transport. LMT batteries are explicitly named in Article 77(1) and must carry a battery passport from 18 February 2027, regardless of capacity.
Market surveillance authority: A market surveillance authority is a national authority responsible for monitoring that batteries placed on the market comply with Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 and for taking enforcement action when they do not. Under the access tiers of Annex XIII, market surveillance authorities and the Commission can access the most detailed battery passport data, beyond what is available to the public or to persons with a legitimate interest. These authorities operate within the broader EU market surveillance framework established by Regulation (EU) 2019/1020.
Nickel: Nickel is a key cathode metal in high-energy lithium-ion chemistries such as NMC, where higher nickel content raises energy density. It is one of the four raw materials covered by the due-diligence obligations of Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 and is subject to recycled-content and material-recovery requirements. Nickel sourcing carries environmental concerns, particularly around mining and refining, which the Regulation’s due-diligence policy is designed to address.
Nickel manganese cobalt (NMC): Nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) is a family of lithium-ion cathode chemistries combining those three metals in varying ratios, valued for high energy density and widely used in electric vehicle batteries. Its cobalt and nickel content places NMC batteries squarely within the due-diligence, recycled-content, and material-recovery obligations of Regulation (EU) 2023/1542. Higher-nickel NMC variants increase energy density while reducing cobalt, trading off some thermal stability.
Notified body: A notified body is a conformity assessment body designated by an EU Member State and notified to the Commission to carry out third-party conformity assessment tasks under Regulation (EU) 2023/1542. Where the applicable conformity assessment procedure requires third-party involvement, the notified body examines the battery and its technical documentation and issues the relevant certificate. Notified bodies are among the parties that, under Annex XIII, may access certain restricted battery passport data.
Placing on the market: Placing on the market means the first making available of a battery on the Union market, while making available means any supply for distribution or use in the course of a commercial activity, whether for payment or free of charge. The distinction matters because most obligations under Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 — including conformity assessment, the declaration of conformity, and the battery passport from 18 February 2027 — attach at the moment a battery is placed on the market or put into service.
Portable battery: Under Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 a portable battery is a battery that is sealed, weighs 5 kg or less, is not designed exclusively for industrial use, and is neither an EV, LMT, nor SLI battery — the typical batteries in consumer electronics and household devices. Portable batteries are not subject to the Article 77 battery passport requirement, but they are covered by other obligations such as removability and replaceability rules, collection targets, and labelling.
Recycled content: Recycled content under Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 is the share of cobalt, lithium, nickel, and lead in a battery’s active materials that is recovered from waste. The Regulation requires that industrial batteries above 2 kWh, EV batteries, and SLI batteries containing these materials be accompanied by documentation of recycled content, with minimum recovered-material targets phasing in on dates set by the Regulation and its delegated acts. Recycled content information is part of the data surfaced through the battery passport.
Repurposing: Repurposing under Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 is any operation that results in a battery, or parts of it, being used for a purpose or application different from the one it was originally designed for. An economic operator that repurposes a battery takes on manufacturer-like responsibilities for the new application, including ensuring a new and distinct battery passport is created for the repurposed battery and linked to the record of the original. Repurposing is a key circular-economy pathway that extends a battery’s useful life before end-of-life treatment.
Second life: Second life describes the use of a battery — most often an EV battery — in a new application after it is no longer suitable for its original purpose, for example reusing former EV modules in stationary energy storage. It is enabled by repurposing and depends on reliable state-of-health data so operators can assess whether a battery is fit for reuse. Second-life operators are among the parties with a legitimate interest in detailed battery passport data, which they need to evaluate and document the battery before reuse.
Separator: The separator is a thin, porous membrane placed between the anode and cathode of a battery that prevents direct electrical contact — which would cause a short circuit — while allowing ions to pass through the electrolyte. Separator integrity is a key safety factor, since failure can trigger internal shorts and thermal runaway. It is part of the cell architecture that determines a battery’s safety performance assessed during conformity assessment under Regulation (EU) 2023/1542.
SLI battery (starting, lighting, ignition): An SLI battery, as defined in Regulation (EU) 2023/1542, is a battery designed to supply electric power for the starting, lighting, or ignition of vehicles — the classic automotive starter battery, typically lead-acid. SLI batteries are a distinct category from EV, LMT, industrial, and portable batteries and are subject to recycled-content documentation requirements where they contain cobalt, lithium, nickel, or lead. They are not within the scope of the Article 77 battery passport obligation, which from 18 February 2027 covers only LMT, industrial (above 2 kWh), and EV batteries.
State of charge (SoC): State of charge (SoC) is the level of charge of a battery relative to its current capacity, expressed as a percentage where 100% is fully charged and 0% is empty. It is a dynamic operating parameter tracked by the battery management system and is distinct from state of health, which reflects long-term ageing rather than the present charge level. SoC is among the operational data points relevant to the dynamic information that LMT, industrial, and EV batteries must record under Regulation (EU) 2023/1542.
State of health (SoH): State of health (SoH) is a measure of a battery’s current condition relative to its original specification, typically expressed as a percentage that reflects how much usable capacity or performance remains after ageing and use. Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 requires that data needed to determine state of health and expected lifetime be recorded and made available for LMT, industrial (above 2 kWh), and EV batteries, and this dynamic data forms part of the battery passport. Accurate SoH information is essential for safe repurposing and second-life decisions.
Unique identifier: A unique identifier is the string that uniquely identifies an individual battery and resolves, through the data carrier, to its battery passport. Under Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 the identifier must be consistent with the ISO/IEC 15459 family of standards for unique identification, encoded in a QR code conforming to ISO/IEC 18004. Because Article 77(1) requires one passport per physical battery, the unique identifier must distinguish each individual battery rather than a model, type, or production lot.
Waste battery: A waste battery, under Regulation (EU) 2023/1542, is a battery that is waste within the meaning of the Waste Framework Directive — that is, discarded or intended or required to be discarded. The point at which a battery becomes waste triggers the collection, treatment, recycling, and producer-responsibility obligations of the Regulation, and is distinct from a battery that is being repaired, repurposed, or prepared for reuse. Waste batteries must be separately collected and may not be discarded with mixed municipal waste.