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.
Durability parameters such as cycle life are part of the technical and performance information the Regulation expects for in-scope rechargeable batteries, and they feed directly into state-of-health and second-life assessments captured by the battery passport.