A weekly briefing on battery regulation, China's supply chain, and prices, for the people who buy and deploy the cells.
The EU battery passport slipped again, this time on who gets to read it. The Commission missed its 18 August 2026 statutory deadline (Article 77(9) of Regulation 2023/1542) to adopt the implementing act defining "legitimate interest" access rights to passport data. As of an 8 September report its revised internal timetable targets Q4 2026, roughly three months before the passport becomes mandatory on 18 February 2027. Our recent issues mapped the 71 data points and the six adopted standards; the open question now is who beyond the public and authorities may query them.
The EU still has no legal way to declare an EV battery's carbon footprint. The carbon-footprint declaration obligation for EV batteries was meant to trigger from 18 February 2025, but as of 9 August 2026 it still had not, because neither the delegated methodology/performance-class act nor the implementing format act has been adopted. The EV methodology has sat unfinalised since consultation closed on 28 May 2024.
China's toughest EV battery safety standard is now in force. GB 38031-2025 (电动汽车用动力蓄电池安全要求) became legally effective on 1 July 2026, replacing GB 38031-2020 and adding a stricter no-fire/no-explosion thermal-propagation requirement. Our June issue counted down to this date; it is now the floor, not a preview.
| Date | What changes | Who should care |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Jul 2026 | GB 38031-2025 EV battery safety standard in force (new type approvals) | EV-grade cell buyers |
| Q4 2026 | EU passport Art. 77(9) access-rights act (Commission adoption target) | Compliance |
| 18 Feb 2027 | EU digital battery passport mandatory (>2 kWh) | Anyone selling into the EU |
REPT showed a sodium-ion storage cell built for the cold, but it is a 2027 story. REPT Battero unveiled its Wending 320Ah sodium-ion energy-storage cell at SNEC 2026 (17 June 2026), rated for over 20,000 cycles, 97%+ round-trip efficiency, -50°C to 60°C operation, and over 87% capacity retention at -50°C. The cell is still in A-sample validation, with mass production and delivery targeted for 2027.
CALB's EU-made cells are still a construction site. CALB broke ground on its first overseas plant in Sines, Portugal on 24 February 2025, with about €2 billion (~$2.1 billion) of planned investment to build power and storage cells, modules and packs mainly for European customers. First-phase (15 GWh) production is targeted for 2027 and full operation by 2028.
| Vendor | What | Key numbers | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| REPT | Wending 320Ah sodium-ion storage cell (SNEC 2026) | >20,000 cycles · 97%+ RTE · -50°C to 60°C | A-sample; mass production 2027 |
| CALB | First overseas plant, Sines, Portugal | €2B (~$2.1B) · 15 GWh phase 1 | broke ground 24 Feb 2025; start 2027 |
| CATL | CATL Mall direct-to-buyer LFP cell sales | 314Ah 0.423 · 280Ah 0.494 yuan/Wh · 1,800+ signed | since Aug 2026 |
A new 2% China consumption tax has reached every domestic cell quote. From 1 September 2026, China applies a 2% consumption tax on lithium-ion batteries, ending an 11-year exemption, and cell makers moved within the week. CATL raised its quoted 314Ah LFP storage cell from RMB 0.414/Wh to RMB 0.423/Wh (US$0.062 to ~$0.063/Wh), citing the tax directly.
EVE says the surcharge stops at the border. EVE Energy announced that, effective 1 September 2026, a 2% consumption-tax surcharge is added to the base price of all its domestic battery products, while export-bound products stay eligible for tax rebates to preserve price parity for overseas buyers.
CATL is now selling cells direct, and publishing the list price. CATL's direct-to-buyer platform ("CATL Mall," launched June 2026) lists its energy-storage LFP cells with over 1,800 companies signed on as of 23 August 2026: the 314Ah cell at 0.423 yuan/Wh (~$62.90/kWh) and the 280Ah cell at 0.494 yuan/Wh (~$73.50/kWh).
The +0.009 yuan/Wh step is CATL's quoted 314Ah cell reflecting China's new 2% consumption tax (effective 1 Sep 2026). Energy-Storage.News
Single-session move on 1 Sep 2026 (down 1.64%); dashed line: SMM spot quote of ≥165,000 yuan/mt from upstream producers the same day. SMM
China's echelon-use battery standard now has a design guide. GB/T 34015.5-2025 ("Recycling and Reuse of Automotive Power Batteries - Echelon Utilization - Part 5: Guidelines for Designs") extends the GB/T 34015 series that governs residual-capacity testing, removal requirements and labelling of retired EV traction batteries destined for second-life use in China.
Verify the stock you actually received. Every Chinese-made cell carries a printed traceability code you can only read once the goods are in front of you. Paste it into the decoder and you get the manufacturer, chemistry, spec and exact production date in seconds, enough to catch relabelled or calendar-aged stock at incoming inspection.
Paste any code from a Chinese-made cell. The decoder reads the maker, the spec and the true factory date. Full tool at batterydays.com.
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