Developing a Global Standard for EV Battery Tracking: What You Need to Know

Guest Post by Lauren Roman, Founder and Principal Consultant of TransparentPlanet
Posted: August 7, 2024

Despite the promise of electronic vehicles (EVs) in helping to achieve a clean energy future, three key challenges remain:

1. Ensuring that the minerals that go into EV batteries (EVBs) are sustainable
2. Ensuring that batteries are used to their fullest extent
3. Ensuring recovery of critical battery minerals so they can be used over and over again

To ensure EVB traceability and recovery, countries around the world are developing or implementing systems requiring the use of digital identifiers, usually QR codes, also referred to as ‘Battery Passports’, to provide those who engage an EV battery with valuable data on materials origin, state of health and chain of custody to evidence final recycling. Since cars are imported and exported across the globe for sale, it is critical that the data to be shared by battery and auto manufacturers and accessed by users is harmonized. By harmonizing standards globally, the EV battery industry can become efficient, sustainable, and innovative while addressing challenges related to resource management, environmental and social impact, and economic growth.

SAE Opens J3327 - Battery Traceability Standard Development

On July 30, 2024, SAE International, officially opened J3327: Surface Vehicle EV Battery Global Traceability Standard for development. The standard is intended to provide information and establish standards that may be applicable to all types of electric vehicle batteries (EVBs). Harmonization of global standards and initiatives for EV battery circular economy are at the forefront of this work.

Simple Math

Almost 14 million new electric cars were registered globally in 2023, bringing their total number on the roads to 40 million. IEA predicts that by 2030, 60% of all cars sold globally will be EVs.

Unlike ICE batteries, an average EV battery weighs an average of 1000 pounds and comprises approximately 20% of the vehicle weight or more. That’s a lot of resources, including critical battery minerals that need to be tracked and accounted for recovery and reuse. 

The weight of critical minerals in an average EVB that weighs around 1000 pounds (454 kg) can be broken down as follows:

1. Lithium: ~17.6 pounds (8 kg)
2. Cobalt: ~30.8 pounds (14 kg)
3. Manganese: ~44 pounds (20 kg)

        Total:        92.4 pounds (42 kg) per 1000 pound EVB

If we (incorrectly, but bear with me) assume a 100% recycling recovery rate for each of these minerals (reality is generally in the 90s percentage range, dependent upon mineral and recovery process), that is enough critical minerals to power batteries for 40 million new EVs. It is essential that we do not lose track of these batteries so that they can be recovered, particularly in countries such as North America and the EU that currently have scarcity of available resources in-country.

SAE’s Leadership Role

SAE, with membership of over 128,000 engineers and technical experts in the mobility sector, is the leader in connecting and educating mobility professionals to enable safe, clean, and accessible mobility solutions. The Battery Global Standards Committee has contributing members including EV and EVB OEMs, recyclers, technology providers and other experts in the battery supply and value chains.

The new standard will encompass:

• Mineral Provenance Traceability - Robust data standards for tracing the origin and provenance of critical battery minerals, ensuring responsible sourcing and adherence to due diligence requirements.
• Battery Performance and Lifecycle Management - Standardized data formats for battery specifications, performance metrics, and usage history, enabling optimized battery lifecycles, enhanced safety, responsible use, and streamlined remanufacturing, repurposing, and recycling processes.
• Sustainability and Interoperability - Comprehensive guidelines for accounting and reporting on the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) impacts of battery production, use, and end-of-life management, promoting sustainability and interoperability across global value chains.
   

EVB Track and Trace Benefits for Industry

While battery track and trace offers benefits to many stakeholders along the battery supply and value chains, emerging battery regulations are placing much of the responsibility and cost on the battery and vehicle manufacturers. The benefits, however, can significantly offset costs to manufacturers as follows:

• Cost Reduction – Lowers maintenance costs and improves charging infrastructure utilization. Stakeholder access to rich battery data reduces repair, repurposing and recycling costs.
• Regulatory Compliance – Ensures adherence to battery regulations that are quickly evolving globally
• Improved Fleet Management – Optimizes vehicle utilization and charging schedules, reducing operational costs
• Battery Health Monitoring – Provides historic insights into battery health, allowing proactive maintenance and extending battery life through reuse
• Supply Chain Traceability – Provides visibility and improved quality control from raw materials to final battery product
• LCA Data Management & Compliance – Data collected can track emission reductions and progress in sustainability
• Recall Management – Allows for quick identification and management of affected vehicles
• Optimized Performance – Rich data helps OEMs improve battery design and performance
• Range Anxiety Reduction – Offers accurate data on battery levels, helping ease concerns about range

How to Get Involved – Call for Experts

There are a number of ways to participate in SAE standards development committees as follows:

1. Producer:  A member whose technical views are drawn from an organization that produces or sells materials, products, systems, or services covered in the committee or subcommittee scope.
2. User:  A member whose technical views are drawn from an organization that purchases or uses materials, products systems, or services, other than the household use, covered in the committee or subcommittee scope, provided that the member would not also be classified as a producer as it relates to the work of the committee.
3. General Interest:  A member whose technical views are drawn from an organization that cannot be classified as either a Producer or a User. Examples include members whose technical views are drawn from consumer interest, academic, regulatory, or laboratory communities, or who are individuals whose participation is not being sponsored in any way by any other interest

The SJ3327 Committee also has openings for members to contribute directly to the writing of the standard, supporting the Document Holder.

Those interested in any of the above can contact Dante Rahdar at Dante.Rahdar@SAE.org to receive additional information.
 

About Lauren Roman

Lauren Roman is the Founder and Principal Consultant of TransparentPlanet, established in 2012 to promote sustainability and transparency in the electronics industry, with a current focus on EV and energy storage batteries.

With 30 years of combined experience in electronics and battery lifecycle management, Lauren has held executive positions including Business Director and Vice President of Marketing for various organizations in the field. She currently chairs the Track & Trace Committee for the Alliance for Advanced Transportation Batteries (NAATBatt) and serves as Vice Chair of the Battery Global Traceability Standards Committee for the SAE.

Lauren’s skills extend to auto-ID technologies for track and trace, and she has led two teams to success in three rounds of the Department of Energy’s Lithium Ion Battery Recycling Prize competition.

Her commitment to environmental sustainability drives her leadership in the battery track and trace field, where she is dedicated to ensuring sustainable solutions for our clean energy future.