Volvo will become the first electric vehicle manufacturer to offer a battery passport on its new $76,695 / £95,400 / AU$155.00 EX90 electric SUV, which will offer information on raw material components, amount of recycled content and general carbon. footprint of the battery pack.
Similar to information provided by some fashion brands, such as Nudie Jeans and outdoor clothing specialist Rab, the battery passport is designed to create greater transparency into the product and educate the buyer about its credentials. of sustainability.
The passport was developed by Volvo, owned by Chinese manufacturer Geely, with input from British startup Circulor. According to Reuters, Circulor uses blockchain technology to map companies' supply chains.
Volvo will gain a competitive advantage over the competition as battery passports will be mandatory for electric vehicles sold in the European Union from February 2027, thanks to an initiative that aims to identify the origin of key materials, their footprint carbon and its recycling. content is more transparent to both regulators and customers.
The first EX90 models with battery passports will roll off Volvo's new production line in Charleston, South Carolina, in the coming weeks, and will take the form of a QR code located inside the driver's door.
This will provide simplified information about the battery's origins and its material composition, while a more complete version of the passport will be provided to regulators, according to Reuters.
To make the system work, Circulor connects to the supply chain of each battery used, tracing its origins from the extraction stage to completion. In addition to this, it tracks monthly energy bills from suppliers and calculates how much of their energy comes from renewable sources to calculate the total carbon footprint.
Additionally, scanning the QR code will also provide up-to-date information on the status of the EV's battery, although this is a diagnostic tool that is already available on several modern EVs.
Analysis: Greater transparency could be key
While the European Union has set a 2027 deadline ensuring that all new electric vehicles sold will have a battery passport, the United States has not yet revealed whether it will do the same.
That said, the U.S. government has been putting increasing pressure on automakers to build and source materials for their electric vehicles on their own turf, and recent cuts to federal tax credits limit the number. of eligible electric vehicles to a few.
Introducing battery passports (and passports for all components, for that matter) could offer the kind of transparency that would make it easier for policymakers to introduce new subsidies, which in turn could help accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles.
Similarly, American EV manufacturers will also be keen to demonstrate the sustainability credentials of their EVs in order to qualify for any available subsidies when selling in Europe.
