Battery Passport Glossary

This glossary defines common terms used in Battery Passport compliance and implementation. Definitions are practical and written to support real-world execution rather than legal interpretation.

Where formal legal definitions apply, refer to the EU Battery Regulation and associated implementing acts.

Access control: Rules that determine who can view or update specific passport data fields.
Implementation note: Enforce at the data and API layers, not only in the user interface.
API: Application Programming Interface used to read or write passport data programmatically.
Implementation note: Version APIs alongside schema changes.
Audit log: An append-only record of changes and key access events associated with a passport.
Implementation note: Capture who changed what, when, and why.
Battery category: Regulated grouping such as EV, industrial, LMT, portable, or SLI.
Implementation note: Category determines which obligations apply.
Battery Passport: A digital record tied to a battery that provides required information across its lifecycle.
Implementation note: Treat as a regulated dataset with auditability.
Battery Regulation (EU): EU regulation governing batteries placed on the EU market, including sustainability, safety, and information requirements.
Black mass: Intermediate material from battery recycling containing valuable metals such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel.
Carbon footprint: A quantified measure of greenhouse gas emissions associated with a battery, calculated using defined methods.
Implementation note: Requires consistent methodology and auditable source data.
Corrective action: Actions required to address a compliance failure identified by authorities or internal review.
Customs control: Border enforcement activities that can delay or block entry of non-compliant batteries into the EU.
Data closure: The formal process of finalizing a passport record at end-of-life while preserving access and audit history.
Delegated act: EU act that supplements or amends non-essential elements of a regulation.
Distributor: An entity that makes a battery available on the market without being the manufacturer or importer.
Due diligence: Risk-based process to identify and address issues in supply chains, often related to materials sourcing.
Economic operator: Supply-chain role such as manufacturer, importer, distributor, or authorized representative with defined obligations.
End of life (EOL): Stage where a battery is retired from use and enters reuse, repurposing, or recycling.
Evidence artifact: Supporting document such as a test report, declaration, certificate, or calculation.
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR): Obligation for producers to finance or manage collection and recycling of batteries.
Implementing act: EU act that sets practical rules for applying a regulation.
Importer: Entity that places a battery from a non-EU country on the EU market.
Industrial battery: Battery intended for industrial use, including many stationary energy storage applications.
Interoperability: Ability of systems and actors to exchange data without losing meaning.
LCA: Life Cycle Assessment, a structured method to quantify environmental impacts across lifecycle stages.
LMT battery: Battery used in light means of transport such as e-bikes and e-scooters.
Manufacturer: Entity that produces a battery or markets it under its name or trademark.
Market surveillance: Authority activities to verify compliance of products placed on the market.
Model ID: Identifier representing a battery model or design variant.
Nonconformity: Failure to meet a regulatory or standard requirement.
Official schema: Standardized structure defining required passport fields and formats.
Placing on the market: Making a battery available for the first time on the EU market.
Portable battery: Battery that is sealed, hand-carriable, and not designed exclusively for industrial or automotive use.
QR code: Machine-readable label that points to the passport record.
Registry: System that anchors identity, uniqueness, or resolution rules.
Resolver: Stable endpoint that maps a scanned QR code to the correct passport record.
Retention: Requirement to keep records and evidence for a defined period.
Second life: Reuse of a battery in a new application after its initial use.
Serialization: Assignment of a unique identifier to each battery unit.
SLI battery: Starting, lighting, ignition battery, typically used in conventional vehicles.
Supplier declaration: Statement provided by a supplier regarding composition, compliance, or sourcing.
Traceability: Ability to track materials, components, and records through the supply chain.
Unique identifier (unit ID): Globally unique ID that refers to one physical battery unit.
Withdrawal / recall: Removal of products from the market or return from end users.

Disclaimer. Informational guidance only. Not legal advice.