The European Union has just established the first draft of the rules that will soon govern the battery market.
From telephone batteries to industrial batteries via those of electric vehicles, all are concerned by this agreement which has just been reached by the European Parliament and Council.
New stricter rules
Europe is preparing its entry into the battery sector. While the Old Continent is still a very minor player in the sector, it should represent a quarter of world production by 2025. And it is to prepare for this dizzying ascent that an agreement on the new rules was discussed and approved this Friday, December 9.
Thus, in the future, all batteries will be provided with labels and QR codes bearing ” information about their capacity, performance, durability, chemical composition as well as a “separate collection” symbol “.
A label to report the carbon footprint will also appear from 2024 on the batteries of light vehicles (such as scooters or electric bicycles) as well as those of electric cars and industrial batteries with a capacity of more of 2kWh. These batteries must also have a “ digital battery passport “.
High recycling targets
These information requirements are accompanied by ambitious objectives. One of the most striking is the obligation of manufacturers, three and a half years after the entry into force of the legislation, to manufacture devices whose removable battery can be removed and replaced by the user. Are we preparing for the return of good old-fashioned telephones?
The European Union will also put the package in recycling. As of next year, it intends to impose on companies using batteries in their products a collection rate of 45% for portable batteries, to then increase to 63% in 2027 and 73% in 2030. These rates are barely less ambitious for light vehicle batteries, which should reach 51% in 2028, then 61% in 2031.
Based on these obligations, the EU wants that by 2031, 6% of the lithium, 6% of the nickel, 16% of the cobalt and 85% of the lead used in the manufacture of new batteries will come from recycling. . The two authorities now only have to formally approve the agreement in order for it to enter into force.
Source : European Parliament
4