The Battery Regulation entered into force on 17 August 2023 and applies in stages. It carries the first legally fixed Digital Product Passport date in EU law: from 18 February 2027, every LMT (light means of transport), industrial battery above 2 kWh, and EV battery placed on the market must have an electronic battery passport accessible via a QR code on the battery.
Each battery passport must carry model-level and unit-level data — manufacturer, chemistry, carbon footprint, recycled-content shares of cobalt, lithium, lead and nickel, state of health and more. Because its date and field set are already fixed in the regulation itself (not awaiting a delegated act), the battery passport is the proving ground that the rest of the DPP ecosystem watches.
Frequently asked
When is the battery passport mandatory?
From 18 February 2027 for LMT batteries, industrial batteries above 2 kWh, and electric-vehicle batteries placed on the EU market. This date is set directly in Regulation (EU) 2023/1542, not in a later delegated act.
How does the EU Battery Regulation relate to ESPR?
They are separate laws. The Battery Regulation is product-specific and carries its own passport on a fixed 2027 date; ESPR is the umbrella framework rolling out passports for other product groups via delegated acts. The battery passport is widely treated as the template the broader DPP follows.