Digital battery passport implementation in automotive

Making the most of product traceability solutions

Building a sophisticated traceability solution can look like a daunting task. However, such initiatives can deliver strategic, tactical, and operational value.

Our new point of view addresses both challenges and opportunities. The report focuses on the topical example of digital battery passport (DBP) implementation in the European automotive industry. However, the ideas and approach presented can help with a wide range of traceability requirements across numerous industries and regions.

In Europe, DBPs will be mandatory from February 2027 in accordance with the EU’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR).

For the automotive industry, the impact of DBPs is considerable. The Regulation affects several relevant battery categories. What’s more, in some cases, the EU regulation gives automotive OEMs primary responsibility for creating, maintaining, and sharing the DBP.

This responsibility presents challenges such as:

• Cooperation and coordination at industry level to create standards and rules, and at value chain level to enable transparency.
• Management of static and dynamic data from across the value chain, assuring reliability, safety, confidentiality, and interoperability.
• Selection of appropriate technology solutions, requiring appropriate “make or buy” choices plus an understanding of options like data spaces and blockchains.

Done right, DBP implementation promises rewards that go well beyond regulatory compliance. The resulting solutions can enhance many areas of the business, from R&D to supply chain. And those enhancements should in turn generate improvements to service offers, product performance, and automotive sustainability.

Ultimately, companies that succeed with traceability initiatives can more effectively meet the evolving expectations of consumers, and of society as a whole.

Read our point of view to discover how your DBP implementation (or other traceability initiative) can overcome the obstacles and maximize the returns.