Guide

Repurposing, second life and recycling in the passport

When a battery is repurposed or remanufactured it becomes a new product with its own passport, linked to the original; when it is recycled the original passport reaches end of life and its public page returns a gone status.

Last updated 1 June 2026

A battery rarely stays in one role for its whole life. The regulation treats repurposing and remanufacturing as creating a new battery, which means the passport has to model lifecycle change rather than just record static facts.

Repurposing forks a new passport

When a battery is repurposed — for example, EV cells given a second life in stationary storage — the economic operator that carries out the repurposing becomes the producer of a new battery. That battery needs its own passport with its own unique identifier, linked back to the original so the lineage is traceable.

Recycling ends the passport

Once a battery is recycled it no longer exists as a battery. Its passport reaches end of life: the unique identifier is retired and the public URL should report that the battery has ceased to exist rather than show stale data.

Lifecycle states at a glance

EventEffect on passportIdentifier
In useDynamic data updatedUnchanged
Repurposed / remanufacturedNew linked passport createdNew ID, linked to original
RecycledOriginal passport endsRetired

Because the public URL must persist for the retention period, an ended passport keeps its slug — it just reports the end-of-life status. Lineage links let a scanner follow a repurposed battery to its current passport.

Frequently asked

Does a repurposed battery keep its old passport?

No. Repurposing creates a new battery, so it gets a new passport with its own identifier, linked to the original passport for traceability.

What happens to the passport when a battery is recycled?

The passport reaches end of life and its public page reports that the battery no longer exists, while the URL itself is preserved for the retention period.

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