EV owners banned from fixing electric car without new 'passport’
Electric car owners won't be able to carry out repairs unless they have a new 'passport' after a law change.
Everyone buying an electric car will be subject to new rules about EV ‘passports’ which would mean you can't carry out repairs if you don't have one.
A new EU law is coming into effect which will see ‘electric battery passports’ become a legal requirement on all EVs sold in Europe, including the UK despite us no longer being a member.
It means that all EVs will need to be able to prove the origins of the raw material they’re manufactured from, including how much of the battery and its components are recycled and the carbon footprint they create over the time they are used.
The energy processes used to create EVs are often held up as a criticism of the eco vehicles, although studies have demonstrated that the amount of carbon they save versus a petrol or diesel car outweighs the energy used to make them within a few years on the road.
According to breakdown experts at the RAC, the details included on the passport, will contain information on the production process, as well as how the vehicle and its parts were transported.
According to EU officials, from February 2027, all EV batteries over 2 kWh will require a unique battery passport, which can be found using a QR code on the battery itself.
Each passport document will include a unique identification number and the information on the make, model, and details on the vehicle it is used in and all of this information will be needed to carry out repairs and replacements.
It could mean owners won't be able to make repairs or replace parts if they don't have the QR code passport on their battery as required by law.
The changes are part of plans to ban new petrol and diesel cars in the EU by 2035, which the UK is also putting in place.
