The EU is on the move: it will first force smartphone makers to open their devices to third-party app stores starting in January 2024, then make USB-C mandatory for portable electronics starting in late 2024, now it has reached a tentative agreement that will require portable devices to have user-replaceable batteries.
The deal covers batteries of nearly every size: portable batteries, starter, lighting, and ignition batteries for vehicles (SLI batteries), light truck batteries (LMT, think electric scooters and bicycles), electric vehicle batteries ( EV) and even industrial batteries.
This legislation, if passed, will give manufacturers 3.5 years to rework their portable devices so that users can easily remove and replace batteries.
User-replaceable batteries used to be the norm on smartphones, but these days they’re incredibly rare. For the common bar form factor it should be a relatively simple fit – even dust and water resistance is possible, as evidenced by Samsung’s recent Xcover phones and similar devices.
The Samsung Galaxy Xcover6 Pro is IP68 and MIL-STD-810H rated and has an easily removable battery
Foldable phones can be a challenge, however, as they often have two separate batteries, one in each “half” to balance space and weight. They are connected with ribbon cables and finding a design that allows easy access for users will be difficult. Manufacturers will have 3 1/2 years to figure it out, again, if and when the legislation is passed by the EU Parliament and Council.
Each battery must have labels and QR codes containing information on capacity, performance, life, chemical composition and a “separate collection” symbol. In addition, the batteries will have digital passports with information about the general battery model and the individual battery.
This deal was heavily driven by environmental concerns. The plan sets minimum levels of recycled materials for batteries: 16% for cobalt, 85% for lead, 6% for lithium and 6% for nickel.
To power the recycling process, the EU will require the collection of old batteries: at least 45% of old batteries must be collected (free of charge) by 2023, 63% by 2027 and 73% by 2030 for batteries portable. For LMT batteries the numbers are 51% by 2028 and 61% by 2031.
In fact all other batteries, including electric and industrial ones, must be collected at no cost to the consumer, regardless of brand, origin and state. In addition, producers selling their products in the EU will be required to develop a due diligence policy to “address the social and environmental risks associated with the sourcing, processing and trading of raw materials and secondary raw materials”.
Rapporteur Achille Variati (S&D, IT) said: “For the first time, we have circular economy legislation that covers the whole life cycle of a product: this approach is good for both the environment and the economy. We agreed on measures that will greatly benefit consumers: batteries will work better, be safer and easier to remove. Our overall goal is to build a stronger EU recycling industry, especially for lithium, and a competitive industrial sector as a whole, which is crucial in the coming decades for the energy transition and the strategic autonomy of the our continent. These measures could become a benchmark for the entire global battery market.”
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