Volvo will be the first to offer a battery passport on an electric vehicle
Battery passport will be mandatory in EU in 3 years
Volvo will be the first electric vehicle manufacturer to offer a battery passport on its new EX90 electric SUV. The document will provide details on raw material components, the amount of recycled content and the overall carbon footprint of the battery pack.
The battery passport is developed with the contribution of the British startup Circulor and supported by blockchain technology. It aims to increase product transparency and educate consumers about vehicle sustainability credentials. Circulor maps supply chains for companies, allowing them to track every step of the battery life cycle, from material extraction to final production.
Passports required in the EU, but only from 2027
This move by Volvo, owned by the Chinese manufacturer Geely, anticipates the European Union legislation that will make battery passports mandatory for electric vehicles from February 2027. The European initiative aims to make the origin of materials, carbon footprint and recycled content transparent, for both regulators and customers.
The first EX90 models with battery passports will exit the new Volvo production line in Charleston, South Carolina, in the coming weeks. These passports will take the form of a QR code located inside the driver’s door. From here you can get the information. In addition, the scan will also provide up-to-date information on the battery health of the electric vehicle, although it is a diagnostic tool already available on numerous evs. A more complete version of the passport will be sent to the regulatory authorities.
To ensure the effectiveness of the system, Circulor tracks the supply chain of each battery, monitoring not only the origin of the materials, but also the suppliers’ monthly energy bills. In this way, it can calculate how much of the energy used comes from renewable sources, contributing to the calculation of the total carbon footprint.
