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Buying a battery-powered vehicle in Europe is about to get more transparent. From 18 February 2027, Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 requires every battery placed on the EU market to carry a QR code, and for light means of transport (LMT) batteries - the category that covers e-bikes, e-mopeds and e-scooters - that QR code must open a digital battery passport. If you ride anything from our electric scooter collection, here is what changes, what the passport will tell you, and what is worth asking a seller before the deadline arrives. The hard facts first: Article 13(6) of Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 sets the QR-code obligation from 18 February 2027, and the Commission's own digital product passport portal confirms LMT batteries include "batteries for e-bikes, e-mopeds and e-scooters". The timing is no accident either - the US Consumer Product Safety Commission reported in April 2026 that 19 of the 310 e-bike deaths recorded between 2017 and 2024 involved battery fire incidents, alongside 15 e-scooter deaths in 11 battery fires, which is precisely the kind of risk a standardised, verifiable battery record is designed to reduce. What the battery passport actually shows The passport is a digital record linked to each individual battery, structured around the data points in Annex XIII of the regulation. Buyers will be able to see, at minimum: Who made it and where: manufacturer identity, the manufacturing place and the date of production. What is inside: battery weight, rated capacity, chemistry and hazardous substances. Critical raw materials: any content above 0.1% concentration must be declared, along with the share of recycled cobalt, lithium, nickel and lead in the battery. Performance and durability: capacity and power retention data - and since 18 August 2024, Article 14 already requires state-of-health information to be available through the battery management system. One widespread misconception is worth correcting now: the carbon footprint is not required in the passport on day one. Those data points have been deferred pending implementing legislation, so if a 2027 passport does not show a carbon score in February, that is the regulation working as written - not a missing feature. Where the rollout stands right now (October 2026) The machine behind the passport is already being built. The Commission's central digital product passport registry went live on 20 July 2026, and CEN/CENELEC published the first battery-passport standards in May 2026 so that different manufacturers' passports can talk to the same infrastructure. The Commission also issued first guidance on the passport's data-point structure on 28 July 2026 - industry transcriptions put the list at roughly 71 data points, though the exact count should be confirmed against the official document once finalised. The timeline at a glance The battery passport is not a single switch being flipped; it is the last step of a schedule that has been running since 2024: 18 August 2024: Article 14 of the regulation takes effect - batteries placed on the market must allow state-of-health and expected-lifetime data to be retrieved through the battery management system. May 2026: CEN/CENELEC publishes the first European standards for battery passport data exchange, so one manufacturer's QR code reads the same as any other's. 20 July 2026: the Commission's central digital product passport registry goes live - the infrastructure every passport must register against. 28 July 2026: the Commission issues first guidance classifying the passport's data points (industry transcriptions count roughly 71 in total). 18 February 2027: the QR code and battery passport become mandatory for LMT, industrial and EV batteries sold in the EU. For a scooter or e-bike bought in 2026, none of this changes a thing on the road - but any battery purchased after that February date, including spares, must come with a working passport. What it means for e-scooter and e-bike buyers For riders, the passport turns questions that used to need trust into questions with printed answers. Take the SUNNIGOO X11 (EUR 599): it runs a 48V 15Ah removable lithium battery - 720 watt-hours - feeding an 800W-peak dual brushless hub motor, with 45-60 km of range, hydraulic suspension and dual disc brakes, 25 km/h road-legal speed with 45 km/h available on private land. From February 2027, the capacity, chemistry and durability data behind those numbers are exactly what the passport will surface for any battery sold in the EU. Four questions worth asking a seller today 1. What is the capacity in watt-hours? Not "how far does it go" - Wh is the measurable figure (voltage x amp-hours) that regulators themselves use. The X11's 48V x 15Ah = 720Wh is the kind of transparent arithmetic the passport will standardise. 2. Is the battery removable? A removable pack is easier to charge safely indoors-away-from-the-bike, easier to replace at end of life, and easier to match against its passport record. 3. Which chemistry and which cells? Chemistry determines winter behaviour and fire behaviour; cell origin tells you whether automotive-grade cells are inside. 4. Where is recycling handled? The same regulation tightens collection obligations - used lithium batteries must go to designated collection points, never household waste. A practical note on speed and road rules A battery passport tells you what is inside the battery - it does not change where a vehicle may ride. In Germany, e-scooters on public roads remain capped at 20 km/h under the eKFV and need ABE type approval; the X11, like the X7 and X10, is not ABE type-approved for German public roads (the SUNNIGOO N5 is the ABE model). In Spain, public-road riders should choose from the N8/N9/N9mate family. The passport changes transparency, not traffic law. Conclusion From 18 February 2027, "trust me, the battery is good" stops being an acceptable sales pitch in the EU: the passport makes capacity, chemistry, origin and durability scannable facts. The smart move in 2026 is to buy from sellers who already answer those four questions in writing. FAQs 1. Does the EU battery passport apply to electric scooter batteries? Yes. LMT batteries - sealed batteries of 25 kg or less that power wheeled vehicles - explicitly include e-bikes, e-mopeds and e-scooters under Regulation (EU) 2023/1542, and from 18 February 2027 each must carry a QR code linking to its battery passport. 2. Will the battery passport show the carbon footprint? Not at launch. The carbon footprint data points have been deferred pending implementing rules, so early passports focus on manufacturer identity, capacity, chemistry, hazardous substances, recycled content and durability. 3. Do I need to do anything as a rider before February 2027? No obligation falls on riders. But when replacing or buying a spare battery after 18 February 2027, check that the QR code resolves to a working passport - a battery without one should not be on the EU market. 4. Why is the EU doing this now? Battery safety and transparency: regulators want verifiable data on what powers micromobility after years of fires involving uncertified packs, and the passport also underpins recycled-content targets and end-of-life tracking. People also ask: E-bike range explained: Wh maths, assist levels, real vs claimed range 250W EU standard explained: EPAC rules vs e-scooter wattage limits US CPSC micromobility report 2017-2024: venue over wattage About SUNNIGOO: SUNNIGOO is a European brand manufacturer of electric scooters and e-bikes, with warehouses in Germany, Poland and France, a 2-year warranty on motor and frame, CE EN 17128 certification on eligible models and a service centre in Messel, Germany. Orders ship in 3-7 working days from inside the EU.