Proposal on the carbon footprint calculation for EV batteries

In the Battery Regulation (EU 2023/1542) the EU introduced the obligation of tracking the carbon footprint of a product and disclosing the information to consumers. Now drafts were released where the calculation method and the format for the declaration were suggested.

The EU notified the two drafts, one for the proposal for the calculation method (only for EV batteries) and the other for the format of the declaration on the 1^st of May 2024 to the World Trade Organization. The plan is to adopt the regulations in July 2024 and for the provisions to apply from 18 February 2025. Until then manufacturers shall have the time to establish the infrastructure and gather the necessary information.

Calculation parameters

The carbon footprint of electric vehicle batteries is measured by calculating the CO2-equivalent emissions produced throughout the battery’s entire life cycle stages. These stages span from the gathering and pre-processing raw materials, through the main product production and distribution to the End of life of the product and its recycling. This total emission amount, expressed in kilograms (kg) of CO2-equivalent, is then divided by the total energy output the battery delivers over its entire service life.

Declaration format

The second regulation concerns itself with the carbon footprint declaration required by Article 7(1) in Regulation EU 2023/1542. Manufacturers are obligated to provide this declaration with every battery they place on the market. It has to contain general information for example the name of the manufacturer or the location of the manufacturing plant. The main part of it, however, is the previously calculated carbon footprint through the life-cycle, as well as the division into each of the four life-cycle stages. To understand the values, a web link to the public study with which the carbon footprint calculation is supported, has to be provided.