Global Battery Alliance launches world's first Battery Passport proof of concept

18 January 2023, 13:55:26

The Global Battery Alliance (GBA), the world's largest multi-stakeholder organization to establish a sustainable battery value chain by 2030, today launched the proof of concept for its Battery Passport at the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos.

The Battery Passport is key to facilitating the rapid scaling of sustainable, circular, and responsible battery value chains to meet the targets of the Paris Agreement through electrification of the transport and power sectors. It has been developed over three years by GBA's members, who span the global battery value chain from the mine to recycling, including Audi, BASF, CATL, Eurasian Resources Group, Glencore, LG Energy Solution, Umicore, Tesla, Volkswagen AG, and IT solution providers as well as leading non-governmental and international organizations including IndustriALL Global Union, Pact, Transport & Environment, UNEP, UNICEF, and many others, with the support of Government institutions like the German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, and Natural Resources Canada.

Bringing transparency to battery value chains through the introduction of the battery passport is a critical step toward establishing sustainable battery value chains in a rapidly growing industry. The Battery Passport is GBA's flagship initiative, establishing a digital twin of a physical battery that conveys information about all applicable sustainability and lifecycle requirements based on a comprehensive definition of a sustainable battery. It will bring new levels of transparency to the global battery value chain by collecting, exchanging, collating, and reporting trusted data among all lifecycle stakeholders on the material provenance, the battery’s chemical make-up and manufacturing history, and its sustainability performance.

GBA's Battery Passport is unique as it is a key instrument to implement a global vision of sustainable, responsible and circular battery value chains, based on data that is standardized, comparable and auditable. Its ultimate goal is to provide end-users with a quality seal based on the battery’s sustainability performance, according to reporting rules agreed by stakeholders from industry, academia, non-governmental organisations and government.

Publicly available on the Global Battery Alliance’s website, the prototype battery passports include example data from Audi and Tesla and their value chains partners relating to the battery’s technical specifications, material provenance, and reporting against key sustainability performance indicators (please note the disclaimer). This includes partial reporting of the battery’s carbon footprint, and child labour and human rights performance, according to rulebooks developed by members of the Global Battery Alliance for select materials, as well as information on the data collection across different steps of the value chains. By establishing this proof of concept, the Global Battery Alliance and its members are demonstrating how, by putting this data in the hands of end-users, the Passport will enable customers to make more informed purchasing decisions and drive sustainable sourcing, processing and manufacturing practices in the industry in the future.

Building on the ground-breaking efforts of the Global Battery Alliance, the concept of a Battery Passport has already been endorsed at the 2021 G7 Leaders’ Meeting, in the EU Battery Regulation and by the Canadian and U.S. administrations. A Battery Passport will become a mandatory requirement in the EU by 2026 with other regions likely to follow, which makes the launch of the GBA’s Battery Passport more important than ever to provide a globally harmonized framework for sustainability performance in the future.

News related to Audi, BASF, CATL, Eurasian Resources Group, Glencore, LG Energy Solution, Umicore, Tesla or Volkswagen

Volkswagen unveiled the three-row ID. Buzz in Huntington Beach, California today. The zero-tailpipe vehicle has been designed specifically for North America. It offers a longer wheelbase than the two-row European vehicle that debuted in 2022, plus a bigger battery and more horsepower. Retro design cues—like the oversized VW logo, short overhangs, and available two-tone color palette—meet a tailored interior...

2 June 2023

Ford Motor Company said today it reached an agreement with Tesla Motors that will provide Ford electric vehicle customers access to more than 12,000 Tesla Superchargers across the U.S. and Canada, doubling the number of fast-chargers available to Ford EV customers starting Spring 2024. A Tesla-developed adapter will provide Ford F-150 Lightning, Mustang Mach-E and E-Transit vehicles fitted with the Combined Charging...

26 May 2023

At the Tesla 2023 Shareholders Meeting Elon Musk made several key announcements. Here's a brief recap of what he said. Next Gen Drive Unit. The announcement of the next-gen drive unit was the first more noteworthy one among a few. As already stated before, during the development stage, this next-gen drive unit uses zero rare earth materials. It requires 75% less Silicon Carbide and reduces gigafactory footprint by...

17 May 2023

Panasonic has released its financial results for the year 2023 so far and expectations for 2024. In the expansive document, there's a section depicting the areas where the company expects growth and one of them is automotive batteries. In order to take advantage of this expected growth, Panasonic mentions three key areas: Enhancing supply capabilities in the USA - the mass production of 2170 cells from the Kansas...

11 May 2023

CNBC reports that Elon Musk has broke ground on a Tesla lithium refinery that is planned to be built in Corpus Christi, Texas. Gov. Greg Abbott also attended the ceremony. Tesla will invest USD 3.75 million in this project as one of the company's steps to secure a domestic supply of lithium hydroxide for its batteries. The report cites Elon Musk who said that this refinery should provide enough lithium for Tesla to...

9 May 2023

SNE Research reported that the global EV battery market has recorded a 38.6% YoY growth in Q1 of 2023. The total amount of energy held by batteries for pure EVs, PHEVs, and HEVs was around 133 GWh. CATL remains the top market player with a growth rate of 35.9% and 35% market share. BYD experienced a staggering growth in the Q1 of 115.5% but ranks second in market share with 16.2%. LGES is third with a growth rate of...

5 May 2023

The Volkswagen Group successfully continued its transition to electric mobility in the first quarter of 2023. By the end of March, deliveries of all-electric vehicles (BEVs) have risen by 42% compared to the prior-year period, which was hit harder by supply chain issues. A total of 141,000 BEVs were handed over to customers, up from 99,200 in the first quarter of 2022. BEVs made up 6.9% of total deliveries in this...

21 April 2023

Volkswagen is pleased to announce that all MY23 ID.4 models that are placed in service this year will be eligible for the full $7,500 Federal Tax Credit, making it not only extremely affordable, but competitive with conventional compact SUVs. Volkswagen is currently the only international automaker to have a full battery electric vehicle that is eligible for the full credit, thanks to local assembly and sourcing...

19 April 2023

CATL launched condensed battery, a cutting-edge battery technology at Auto Shanghai. With an energy density of up to 500 Wh/kg, it can achieve high energy density and a high level of safety at the same time in a creative manner, opening up a brand-new electrification scenario for passenger aircrafts. CATL can achieve mass production of condensed batteries in a short period of time. To address the changes of the...

19 April 2023

CATL's first sodium-ion battery will power Chery EV models. This was announced by CATL on Twitter. At the same time, Chery Auto held a press conference during which it presented its new iCar brand and also confirmed that CATL's first sodium-ion battery will power its EV models including the iCar GT two-door coupe and the iCAR 03. CATL and Chery Auto also jointly announced at the event that the two companies create a...

18 April 2023

Volkswagen ID.7 - the brand's first global electric model for the upper mid-size class - debuted at Auto Shanghai. The combination of ranges up to 700 km, superior powertrain, spacious interior, and premium technologies makes the ID.7 a comfortable limousine for long-distance travel and opens up a new segment for the ID. family. Almost five meters long, the model also has an enhanced customer-focused operating...

17 April 2023

The next electric drive generation for the ID. family is now being launched. With the new APP550 rear-wheel drive, Volkswagen’s electric model family will receive a completely newly developed power unit. In the future, this will offer higher performance combined with improved efficiency for the ID. models. The ID. family will therefore benefit both in terms of power and increased range. Volkswagen is planning to...

12 April 2023

The countdown to the launch of the new Volkswagen ID.7 has started: the world premiere of the new all-electric ID. flagship model will take place on Monday, 17 April. Just under two weeks before this date, Volkswagen is now providing further details on the drive, running gear and convenience features of the saloon designed for long-distance driving. The new ID.7 will enhance the upper mid-size class in Europe, China...

5 April 2023

In the first quarter of this year, Tesla produced over 440,000 vehicles and delivered over 422,000 vehicles. The company continues to transition towards a more even regional mix of vehicle builds, including Model S/X vehicles in transit to EMEA and APAC. Tesla will post its financial results for the first quarter of 2023 after the market close on Wednesday, April 19, 2023.

4 April 2023