--- title: "Europe to Require EV Battery Passports That Reveal Material Origins" description: "The mandate only applies to the EU for now, but you'd imagine it'd make determining IRA tax credit eligibility a snap." date: "2024-01-18" modified: "2024-01-18" authors: - name: "Nico DeMattia" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/nico-demattia" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/europe-to-require-ev-battery-passports-that-reveal-material-origins" categories: - "Car Tech" - "Electric Vehicles" - "News" --- # Europe to Require EV Battery Passports That Reveal Material Origins ![BMW i7 on a bridge 3/4 view]() *BMW* When you go to a restaurant and order a steak, do you ever wonder where the cow came from, what it was fed, and whether it lived in good conditions prior to landing on your plate? That's sort of what the European Union wants to know, only with [electric vehicle]() batteries, not beef. To reveal the origins and history of the raw materials in EV batteries, the EU will require all EVs to have battery passports that provide all such details. Whoever makes the battery—be it an automaker or a third-party company—will have to provide the details and create the passport. However, the onus will be on the manufacturer to provide the battery passport data to dealers and owners, but they don't have to share all of it. To keep carmakers' intellectual property hidden, they only have to show general information, without revealing exact battery composition. At the moment, the United States doesn't require any sort of battery passport, but I wouldn't be surprised if the U.S. decides to adopt the same requirement. Battery passports could be a way for automakers and the government to easily show whether batteries meet the requirements for [federal tax credits](). ![]() The exact information required for these battery passports hasn't been defined just yet, but there's a $7.6 million project called the Battery Pass Consortium currently underway that's working on it. The project is a joint venture between 11 partners, including [BMW]() and [Audi](), and it's slated to take effect by February 2027 if all goes according to plan, per *[Autocar]()*. This isn't as dystopian as it might sound at first, as the customer isn't required to present battery passports when driving to different countries, or anything like that. It actually provides more transparency between automakers, their battery suppliers, and customers, so people know where their cars' batteries are coming from. *Got tips? Send 'em to tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Nico is a writer and reviewer from New Jersey who probably thinks he’s a lot funnier than he actually is. His love of cars began when he was just a kid playing Gran Turismo 3, grinding out enough race wins with a Mazda Miata to save up for an in-game RUF 911. That passion for small, lightweight sports cars drove his desire to learn more about the industry, get his hands on as many cars as he could, and bring those experiences to life on the page. He cut his teeth writing about BMWs, Volkswagens, and Audis, mostly, and has owned far too many of each. He’s on his fourth 3 Series sedan, but all of his old, cheap German cars have forced him to learn more about car maintenance than his mechanical capability can handle. Too many late nights have been spent scrambling to get a car running by morning so he could get to work. For some reason, he never seems to learn that old Bimmers probably aren’t the best daily drivers. But he loves more than just old German cars. He’ll gladly drive and discuss anything with four (or even three) wheels. Cars aren’t his only passions, though. Nico is also a big nerd and loves movies, video games, comic books, and cares far too much about the New York Giants. So don’t be surprised if you see football references or dumb, obscure movie quotes in any of his car reviews. ### Author social links [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()