Traceability of EV Batteries and Components

One of the first Governmental Authorities requiring this information for all EVs, whether produced in the country or imported, was China, meaning that European OEMs exporting EVs to China are required to collect this information and report it to the Chinese authorities. Standard GB/T 34014-2017 was introduced by the Chinese authorities in 2017 to define the traceability requirements for electric vehicle batteries over their entire life cycle. To comply with the Chinese standard, vehicle manufacturers need the suppliers of the battery pack, modules and cells to ensure the correct marking, documenting and archiving of the data and battery pack manufacturers must work together with their sub-suppliers to provide this information.

Although currently mandatory in China, more regulatory requirements for documenting detailed battery data are in place or in preparation outside of China. Here we can include the work currently going on in Europe to establish a Battery Passport and, more widely a Digital Product Passport*.

In advance of a fully defined Battery Passport, Odette has published OM51 – Digital Message for Battery Data Exchange** which proposes a standardised format for exchanging battery data between the business entities involved.

OM51 covers both Battery Data Request and Battery Data Provision information flows and can be used along the complete battery pack supply chain, from the cell manufacturer to the module manufacturer to the battery pack manufacturer to finally transmit the necessary information to the vehicle manufacturer.

Download the Message free of charge

* Facing up to the Digital Product Passport Regulatory Challenge will be on the agenda at Odette2025 Conference in May in Bratislava.

** Based on VDA Recommendation 5013, OM51 is enhanced to satisfy the requirements of all European vehicle manufacturers.