BatteReverse brings you Short Circuit, a new webinar series that focuses on the most relevant battery circularity topics today. The first episode of the series, titled 'Short Circuit: New Battery Regulation vs. Reverse Logistics', brought together reverse logistics experts to discuss their interpretation of the new Batteries Regulation and how it affects their operations.
Rose Gregorio (EIT Urban Mobility) opened the event with an introduction to the BatteReverse project while Piotr Grudzień (Bax & Company) gave a summary of the new Battery Regulation measures relevant to reverse logistics.
Afterwards, a panel of experts composed of Dr. Nuria Gonzalez-Garcia (betteries AMPS), Dr. Farouk Tedjar (TES), Nicolas Jacquier (Mobilize), Axel Wimby (Cling Systems), and Tobias Schreiber (NORMA Advokater) delved into four key topics influencing the reverse logistics of electric vehicle (EV) batteries:
- Access to Battery Management System (BMS) and State of Health (SoH) information: Nicolas Jacquier from Mobilize (Renault Group) discussed how they provide State of Health certificates for businesses interested in the repurposing of Renault batteries. Nuria Gonzalez-Garcia highlighted the need for a standard method of SoH measurement, applicable across all agreements between Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and repurposers like betteries AMPS GmbH.
- Re-use, Repurposing, and waste status: Farouk Tedjar from TES explained their obligation as a recycler to transform incoming batteries into non-waste material. He noted that most OEMs do not allow second-life activities once the battery is deemed waste. Nicolas Jacquier shed light on the OEMs' ambition to repurpose all batteries possible before sending them to recycling. However, currently, not all batteries can be tracked. Axel Wimby focused on the scenario of batteries reaching end-of-life at independent car dismantlers, which might be beyond the OEMs' control – a situation often encountered by Cling Systems. The new regulation clarifies the conditions for changing a battery's status from waste to a product, potentially aiding in such scenarios.
- Extended producer responsibility: As per the Regulation, the organisation introducing the battery to the market, whether new or repurposed, is responsible for the costs of its end-of-life management. Legal expert Tobias Schreiber from NORMA Advokater elaborated that the new legislation provides a framework for cost-sharing between the producer of the new battery and the repurposer.
- Battery passport: Nuria Gonzalez-Garcia discussed the introduction of the battery passport, noting its benefits and new obligations for repurposers. They will be able to support their claims with historical usage data but will also need to report data as the economic operator reintroducing the battery to the market. Axel Wimby expressed hope that the passport would be user-friendly and contain only relevant data to avoid overcomplicated reporting procedures. Nicolas Jacquier, from the OEM perspective, emphasised the battery passport as a crucial tool for transparency with customers.
We extend our gratitude to all the experts who joined our discussion and to the audience for their engaging questions.
You can rewatch the recording of the session on the Battery Community platform.
Mark your calendars: the next Short Circuit webinar on battery testing will take place on Tuesday February 27th!
