Tue 20 December 2022:
The media stated that the European Union (EU) has recently approved new legislation and regulations targeted at making batteries more reusable and sustainable, which may force smartphone manufacturers to reintroduce removable batteries.
This action follows the requirement that all laptops, tablets, and cellphones have USB Type-C charging ports.
According to SamMobile, as the new laws cover the entire battery life cycle, the new regulation will present a new set of challenges to consumer tech firms and battery manufacturers.
The entire life cycle of a battery includes material extraction, industrial production, and disposal.
The new EU law will apply to all types of batteries sold in the EU, including those used in electronic devices, industrial batteries, automotive batteries, and batteries used in two-wheelers and electric vehicles (EVs), according to the report.
This data will then be used to set a maximum CO2 limit for batteries that will come into effect as early as July 2027.
They will need to use a specific percentage of recycled materials, such as 16 per cent cobalt, 85 per cent lead, 6 per cent lithium, and 6 per cent nickel, the report added.
If approved, the new regulations will ensure that batteries sold in the EU region are more environment-friendly, ultimately setting a precedent for the rest of the world.
A press release on the matter reveals that the new regulation will apply to portable batteries, SLI batteries (supplying power for starting, lighting or ignition of vehicles), light means of transport (LMT) batteries (providing power for the traction of wheeled vehicles such as electric scooters and bikes), electric vehicle (EV) batteries and industrial batteries.
However, manufacturers will have three and a half years after the legislation passes to design portable batteries in appliances that allow users to “easily remove and replace them themselves.”
Some experts says, there’s a lot of good that could come from this legislation. The pressure on mining operations will be lower, and environmental impacts reduced, as recycling becomes a key part of the battery production supply chain. Additionally, there’ll be less need to toss out a device suffering battery issues, with replacement straightforward and easy.
The trade-off is that companies will have to work a little harder to accommodate these requirements, and some designs may suffer a minor weight or size penalty in the meantime. But if that gives us longer-lived electrical gizmos and facilitates lithium recycling, it’s hard to argue against.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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