What is the purpose of the electric vehicle battery passport?

Kia takes a new step toward traceability and transparency of automotive batteries with a digital passport.

With the widespread adoption of electric vehicles, the question of tracking batteries becomes central. Long considered a technological “black box,” the battery now attracts the attention of regulators and manufacturers, who seek to better assess its performance, durability, and origin. It is in this context that the concept of a digital battery passport emerges, a tracking tool designed to document each stage of its lifecycle, from production to recycling.

Kia Europe recently launched the first public trial of such a passport, applied not to the entire pack, but at the level of each cell. The experiment relies on a Kia EV3 equipped with a monitoring system developed by Dukosi. This device collects real-time data on the health and performance of the cells and records it in a digital database accessible to technicians and users.

Tracking for a good cause

The challenge is twofold: ensuring component traceability and optimizing the maintenance of electric vehicles. By knowing the precise condition of each cell, it becomes possible to target repairs or replace only the faulty elements, thus reducing costs and waste.

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This project is part of a broader research framework on implementing the future European battery passport. Ultimately, it is expected to become mandatory in the European Union from February 2027 for all batteries used in electric and hybrid vehicles. By providing reliable information on the origin, condition, and recycling of batteries, the digital passport could become a common technical reference for the entire automotive sector, while facilitating the development of a more circular economy around electric mobility.

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