Well documented: There is a lot of discussion about the battery passport. In an exclusive interview with Battery-News, Dr. Francesco Maltoni, Lead Expert “Battery Systems” at automotive service provider FEV Europe, explains from his personal perspective what stumbling blocks there are and how the digital ID card can actually contribute to a sustainable circular economy.
Battery-News: You recently spoke at the Advanced Battery Power conference about the battery passport – a topic that is currently attracting a lot of attention. What is it essentially all about?
Dr. Francesco Maltoni: The battery passport fulfils three central tasks: It enables the battery supply chain to be traced to better assess the environmental footprint, it creates transparency for end customers by making information on the estimated remaining service life easily accessible, and it forms the basis for a secondary market for used batteries – including documentation on re-purposing and recycling. This will be particularly relevant for low-cost stationary storage solutions, as their economic benefit in the “second life” sector is high – provided that reclassification and bureaucracy are made more practicable.
“Many industry players are currently only implementing the absolute minimum.”
Battery-News: The idea of a digital CV sounds progressive – but will the battery passport really be a tool for the circular economy or will it end up being more of a bureaucratic burden?
Maltoni: The bad news first: The effort involved, especially in terms of bureaucracy, testing, and implementation, is enormous, which can be a deterrent for smaller companies. In practice, we see that many industry players are currently only implementing the absolute minimum – not due to a lack of will, but because the effort involved simply seems too high compared to the immediate benefits. However, if the battery passport is designed and developed correctly, it could serve as a platform on which new services can be created – for example, for predicting battery life, for evaluating used batteries, or for “second life” marketplaces. This would transform it from a bureaucratic obstacle into an enabler for the circular economy.
“Many of the technical consequences were simply not thought through to the end.”
Battery-News: The EU wants to do a lot of things right with the new battery regulation. How realistic are these regulations in everyday life?
Maltoni: The objectives of the regulation are absolutely welcome – but they were developed without in-depth requirements management. Many of the technical consequences were simply not thought through to the end. For example, little consideration has been given to what the battery passport means for the battery management system – in terms of cyber security, connectivity, or data architecture, for example. Unlike product passports in other industries, the battery passport requires complex calculations, such as the remaining service life or the “state of certified energy.” This requires feedback from real fleets – and not just laboratory data. The so-called reset function, for example, is much more complex than usual according to the regulatory definition – which entails additional development and certification work. In reality, many companies are surprised when they realize the actual scope of these requirements.
“The more transparent the data, the more informed the decisions.”
Battery-News: The battery passport is based on huge amounts of data. Who ultimately has sovereignty over these data – and how do we ensure that they do not become a pawn in the hands of commercial interests?
Maltoni: That is a good question, because it hits a sore point: There are large market players who have their own cloud infrastructures – and therefore also the ability to use data strategically. Smaller players, on the other hand, are dependent on third-party providers who work with comprehensive diagnostic data – and can therefore quickly gain a head start with aging models or service offerings. Although more open models, for example on a blockchain basis, are currently being researched, they are associated with high costs and are currently not suitable for the large volumes of data that would be necessary for precise aging modeling, for example. It will be interesting to see whether we will see a subscription model in the future, where access to certain data is only available for a fee – or whether access will be as open as possible. The more transparent the data, the more informed the decisions. But it is also clear that many manufacturers are reluctant to disclose all their data.
“Expertise is required from various areas.”
Battery-News: FEV is broadly positioned – from cell development to the end-of-life strategy. What are the biggest technical or organizational obstacles that still stand in the way of the battery passport?
Maltoni: The battery passport is a multidisciplinary mammoth project. It concerns BMS hardware and software as well as cloud architecture, cyber security, supply chain transparency, and life cycle assessment. At the same time, it plays a central role in the evaluation and marketing of used batteries. Expertise is therefore required from various areas – from electronics and data analysis to law and sustainability. The challenge is not only to coordinate these diverse areas of expertise, but also to unite them behind a common vision. For smaller companies, it is difficult to stay up to date in all of these areas – let alone develop their own solutions. It is therefore even more important that the battery passport does not become a barrier to entry, but that it serves as a platform that also benefits small players.
“This would turn the battery passport into a real tool for the circular economy.”
Battery-News: Time for “Make a wish”: What would have to change immediately for the battery passport to actually advance the circular economy?
Maltoni: My biggest wish would be for access to this system to be open and fair. Specifically: a decentralized, public blockchain infrastructure as a standard that all market players can build on, regardless of their size. This would ensure greater trust and create space for innovation. Small companies could develop new services – from second-life marketplaces to data-based diagnostics and service life analyses. This would turn the battery passport into a real tool for the circular economy – and not a bureaucratic obstacle.
