The General Product Safety Regulation covers safety aspects of a product, including lithium batteries, which are not covered by other regulations. Although there are harmonised standards under the regulation, we could not find any that specifically relate to batteries.
These include performance and durability requirements for industrial batteries, electric vehicle (EV) batteries, and light means of transport (LMT) batteries; safety standards for stationary battery energy storage systems (SBESS); and information requirements on SOH and expected lifetime.
Lithium batteries are subject to various regulations and directives in the European Union that concern safety, substances, documentation, labelling, and testing. These requirements are primarily found under the Batteries Regulation, but additional regulations, directives, and standards are also relevant to lithium batteries.
The requirements include: The Inland Transport of Dangerous Goods Directive requires that the transportation of lithium batteries and other dangerous goods must be done according to the requirements of the Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road (ADR).
Performance and Durability Requirements (Article 10) Article 10 of the regulation mandates that from 18 August 2024, rechargeable industrial batteries with a capacity exceeding 2 kWh, LMT batteries, and EV batteries must be accompanied by detailed technical documentation.
The technical documentation should contain information (e.g. description of the lithium battery and its intended use) that makes it possible to assess the lithium battery’s conformity with the requirements of the regulation. The regulation lists the required documentation in Annex VIII.