Battery Passport Readiness for Battery PACK Buyers
On October 12, 2026, CATL announced that it had participated in all three Global Battery Alliance Battery Passport pilot waves. The Global Battery Alliance’s 2026 operational-trials page lists CATL, CALB, REPT Battero, Sunwoda, Panasonic, Jinko ESS, and others among participants, and describes pilot work around supply-chain data, product carbon footprint, verification, traceability, and digital passport readiness.
This matters because the European Commission states that Battery Passport requirements become mandatory on February 18, 2027 for relevant battery categories placed on the EU market, including EV batteries, LMT batteries such as e-bike and e-scooter batteries, home storage batteries, and industrial batteries. The obligation sits with the economic operator placing the finished battery on the market, but that operator depends on upstream suppliers for reliable data.
For PACK buyers, the buyer question is direct: what documentation should be requested before choosing a cell, module, or PACK supplier?
The first layer is product identification. Buyers need clear model names, batch identification, rated capacity, voltage, chemistry, configuration, manufacturer information, and traceability records. A battery passport cannot be built from marketing descriptions. It needs structured product data that can connect a finished PACK back to the cell, module, material, and manufacturing information behind it.
The second layer is performance and durability data. Buyers should ask which test standards, operating limits, cycle-life assumptions, temperature ranges, and safety test records apply to the exact product version. For custom PACKs, the finished design may differ from the supplier’s standard module. That means the buyer should clarify which data applies to the cell only, which applies to the module, and which applies to the completed PACK.
The third layer is sustainability and circularity information. The European Commission’s Battery Passport guidance identifies information areas such as technical characteristics, manufacturer and economic-operator information, performance and durability, repair/reuse/recycling support, and sustainability-related information. The GBA trials also emphasize carbon footprint calculation, supplier due diligence, and third-party assurance.
The fourth layer is data governance. Buyers should ask who owns each data field, how updates are handled, how QR or digital access will be maintained, and whether the supplier can support version control across samples, pilot production, and mass production. For export projects, a technically capable PACK supplier also needs a documentation process.
LYTH View: Battery Passport readiness will reward suppliers that can connect engineering, purchasing, production, and quality records. For LYTH’s buyer base, the practical lesson is to treat documentation as part of PACK design, especially for EU-facing light storage, mobility, telecom, and industrial battery applications.
What LYTH Can Do: LYTH can help buyers define cell, module, and PACK requirements, organize model and batch confirmation, coordinate custom PACK engineering, and prepare project-level documentation inputs that support traceability, compliance review, and supplier selection.
Sources: CATL announcement, Global Battery Alliance 2026 Battery Passport pilots, European Commission Battery Passport guidance, EUR-Lex Regulation 2023/1542
