Getting battery passport data from suppliers in China and outside the EU

Why start now

From 18 February 2027, covered batteries you place on the EU market need a passport. Collecting supplier data is usually the slowest step: questions go back and forth, documents arrive in different formats, and some values need new tests. Batteries shipped in late 2026 may well arrive after the deadline, so they need to be ready too.

What to ask your supplier for

Send this list for each battery model. It covers the data the passport needs from the manufacturer's side:

Identification and safety

• Manufacturer's full legal name, address and contact; place of manufacture
• Model name and code; weight
• Usable fire extinguishing agent; safety measures
• EU declaration of conformity (if they prepare one); marking information (symbols and labels on the battery)

Materials and composition

• Chemistry (for example NMC 811 or LFP)
• Hazardous substances; critical raw materials; share of renewable content
• Detailed composition, including cathode, anode and electrolyte materials

Performance and durability

• Rated capacity (Ah) and total energy (kWh)
• Nominal, minimum and maximum voltage, with temperature ranges where relevant
• Original power capability and maximum permitted power
• Expected lifetime in cycles, the reference test used and the C-rate of the cycle-life test
• Operating and storage temperature ranges
• Round-trip energy efficiency (initial and at 50% of cycle life); internal resistance (cell and pack)
• Expected lifetime in calendar years and initial values for capacity, power and internal resistance; how state of health and usage data can be read from the battery management system

Repair and end of life

• Part numbers of components and contacts for spare parts
• Dismantling information: exploded diagrams, disassembly steps, tools, warnings

Evidence

• Test reports supporting the values above

For later: carbon footprint, recycled content and supply chain due diligence information aren't required yet in February 2027, but ask whether your supplier is preparing them, as they'll follow.

Put it in the contract

• The supplier provides the passport data for each model before the first shipment and updates it when anything changes.
• Each shipment comes with a list of serial numbers and manufacture dates.
• The supplier applies the QR code labels you provide, in the agreed position, before shipment.
• If the supplier will create or update passports for you, give them a written authorisation, and remember it doesn't move your legal responsibility.

QR codes: keep control

Have the QR codes point to a passport that you control, hosted by you or your own service provider, rather than to a page on the supplier's website. QR codes stay on the battery for its whole life, so if you change suppliers or the supplier's site disappears, your codes must keep working. Ask the factory to print or apply the labels you supply.

Language and follow-up

Send the request in English and, if you can, in the supplier's language. Ask for values in the units listed above, and for documents rather than only filled-in spreadsheets. Expect a few rounds of questions: missing values, unclear units and values that don't add up are normal. PackPass prepares this request for you in English and Chinese, and checks everything your supplier sends back.

Read next