Electric vehicle battery makers to face tougher environmental standards

Electric vehicle (EV) battery manufacturers will have to report the product’s entire carbon footprint, from mining to production to recycling, as early as July 2024.

The data will then be used to set a maximum CO2 limit for batteries to apply from the end of 2027.

The new law, passed by the European Parliament, will only apply to EV battery makers selling to member states, not in the UK. It is unclear whether the UK Government will take a similar approach.

Alex Keynes, clean vehicles manager at green group Transport & Environment (T&E), said: “Batteries are already far more sustainable than burning oil in our cars, but they will soon have to be even better.

“New rules on carbon footprint, recycling and due diligence checks, provided they are properly implemented, will mean batteries sold in Europe will set the standard for the rest of the world.

“The next step is to put in place measures to bring to market smaller and affordable electric vehicles that use even less materials.”

Companies selling batteries in the EU will also have to comply with rules designed to prevent environmental, human rights and labour abuses in their supply chains.

The law will require battery-makers to identify, prevent and address a wide range of issues, spanning water pollution to community rights. 

New EU recycling targets mean that from 2027, battery-makers will need to recover 90% of nickel and cobalt used, rising to 95% in 2031.

They would also need to recover 50% of lithium used in 2027, rising to 80% in 2031.