Volvo Cars is launching what appears to be the world’s first EV battery passport for its flagship EX90 SUV, which is about to start production, the automaker told Reuters.
A battery passport documents the origins of the raw materials and components used to manufacture an EV battery, as well as its recycled content and the carbon footprint of production. Battery passports will be mandatory for EVs sold in the European Union starting in February 2027.
Volvo’s Head of Global Sustainability Vanessa Butani told Reuters that Volvo introduced the passport nearly three years before it will be required because the automaker wants to be transparent with car buyers as it targets a transition to all EVs by 2030. “It’s really important for us to be a pioneer and a leader,” Butani said, adding that the passport would gradually be rolled out to all of Volvo’s EVs.
Volvo took over five years to develop the passport, in partnership with UK startup Circulor, which uses blockchain technology to map supply chains for companies.
The EX90 SUV is to start production soon at Volvo’s plant in South Carolina. Deliveries in Europe and North America will begin in the second half of the year.
Volvo owners will be able to access a simplified version of the passport using a QR code on the inside of the driver’s door. A more complete version will be provided to regulators.
Volvo’s passport will also include up-to-date information on the battery’s state of health—a vital consideration for used EV buyers—for 15 years, Circulor CEO Douglas Johnson-Poensgen told Reuters. The passport system will cost Volvo around $10 per car.
The US currently has no battery passport mandate as such, but US automakers are also showing interest in the product, because they will need to provide traceability to prove they qualify for EV subsidies under the Inflation Reduction Act, Johnson-Poensgen said. He added that automakers are rushing to create battery passports, and that companies that are starting the process now may find it hard to meet the EU’s 2027 deadline.
Source: Reuters
Source link
#Volvo #issues #battery #passport #years #ahead #requirements
