Can I link the battery passport to my ERP or inventory system?
Coupling is possible, provided it uses open standards
A link between the digital battery passport and your own ERP or inventory system is technically possible, and the Battery Regulation actually encourages it. Article 78 of Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 requires that the battery passport be set up on the basis of open, interoperable standards, so that data is machine-readable, searchable and transferable between systems, without a user being locked in to a single supplier. This principle makes a technical link with other software - including an ERP package, an inventory management system or your own dashboard - in principle feasible. The regulation itself does not describe a specific coupling method, such as a particular file format or a mandatory API; that is up to the provider of the passport platform and the party wishing to build the link.
What the regulation covers, and what it does not
The obligation under articles 77 and 78 concerns the passport itself: which data it must contain, how it is linked to the QR data carrier on the battery, and that it must be accessible and interoperable. The regulation does not govern how an importer, trader or machinery manufacturer arranges its internal inventory administration, nor which link is technically used for that purpose. This means that a link with an ERP system is a choice that falls outside the statutory obligation - useful for your own business operations, but not something the regulation sets requirements for or prescribes an outcome on. For those who only want to comply with the passport obligation, a link with their own system is not a requirement; for those who want to reuse data in their own administration, it is an additional option.
From 18 February 2027, no coupling obligation until then
The obligation to maintain a battery passport applies from 18 February 2027. Until that date there is no statutory obligation to have a passport, and therefore no obligation to link that passport to any system whatsoever. What is already possible is to get ahead of that date: collect data, structure it and - if there is a need for it - already look at how that data relates to an existing ERP or inventory system. No separate date has been set for 'coupling with your own systems' because this is not an independent statutory obligation; the only firm date that follows from the regulation is that of the passport obligation itself.
How this is handled in practice
Anyone considering linking the battery passport to their own system should start by establishing the purpose: is it about automatically supplying product data to the passport, for example chemical composition, origin or instructions for use, or about feeding passport data back into their own inventory administration? These two directions require a different link. Next, it is useful to check what data formats and interfaces the chosen passport platform offers, and whether they align with what your own ERP or inventory package can import or export. Because the open standards obligation in article 78 is intended to prevent vendor lock-in, it is reasonable to expect that a platform actually offers this; if in doubt, that is a concrete question to put to the platform provider, independent of what the regulation itself governs. Finally, it is practical to view the coupling not as a one-off project, but as something that evolves with changes in the product or inventory, since the passport remains active throughout its lifetime and data may change during that period.
Basis in articles 77 and 78 of the Battery Regulation
That the battery passport must be an interoperable, machine-readable and transferable system follows from Article 78 of Regulation (EU) 2023/1542, which governs the technical design and operation of the battery passport. Article 77 of the same regulation establishes that the passport is an electronic file, linked to a unique identification code and to the data carrier on the battery. Both articles relate to the passport as such, not to the internal systems of a company using it - a link with its own ERP or inventory system is therefore a practical application of that open design, not a separate legal obligation.
Those wishing to develop this further should ideally start by determining their own objective for a link - submitting data, retrieving data, or both - and submit this to the provider of the chosen battery passport platform; the legislation itself can be consulted in the official publication of Regulation (EU) 2023/1542.
What this is based on
- Regulation (EU) 2023/1542, Article 78 (technical design and operation of the battery passport)
- Regulation (EU) 2023/1542, Article 77 (battery passport)
The Regulation itself is on EUR-Lex. We refer for each statement; you need not believe us.
What you need to do concretely
What is expected of you
The passport must be available as machine-readable data, not only as a screen
Article 78 of Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 (battery regulation), article 77 concerns the technical design and functioning of the battery passport, and from this it follows that the underlying data must be accessible in a structured, digital manner. This means that a connection with an ERP or inventory system is technically possible in most cases, because the passport is not intended as a standalone web page but as a dataset that is accessed via the QR code. For a company with 10 to 100 employees, this mainly means that the question "can it be done?" is less relevant than the question "via which route does the connection run and who manages it?" — because the answer to that second question determines how much work it is.
The connection runs via the passport provider, not directly from the ERP system
A battery passport is hosted by a provider — in this case batpas.eu — and not by the importer or dealer themselves. This means that a connection with an own system in practice runs via an exchange with that hosting party: data goes from the ERP system to the platform that compiles and publishes the passport, and not the other way around. For daily practice, this is an important distinction: the ERP system is the data holder for information such as model number, batch number or stock status, but the passport itself, with the QR data carrier and the connection to where the data of the battery digital product passport is located online and who manages it, remains with the hosting party.
Each battery must be uniquely traceable before linking is meaningful
A connection between an inventory system and a passport only works if both systems identify the same battery in the same way. This requires a conclusive way to assign each battery a unique identification so that a record in the ERP system corresponds one-to-one with one passport. For companies working with series, batches or batch numbers, this is often the point where a link fails: the inventory system records at batch level, while the passport exists per individual battery.
The structure of the data plays a role in automatic linking
For automated linking — where data is not manually entered but automatically exchanged — it is relevant whether a standardized method of identification is used. That is the point where GS1 Digital Link comes into play: a standardized link makes it easier to connect systems to each other without having to build each link separately by hand. For a company that already works with GS1 codes in the inventory system, this is often a smaller step than for a company that uses internal, non-standardized article numbers.
Where things go wrong in practice
Inventory system records at batch level, passport requires per unit. An importer of e-bike batteries enters new shipments at batch level — one hundred units under one purchase order — while the passport requires its own file for each individual battery. The link then supplies the same data one hundred times, without it being clear which passport belongs to which physical item.
Two systems, two "truths". A scooter dealer modifies a specification in the ERP system — a different cell type following a supplier change — but forgets that the same change must also be made in the passport. The link runs via manual export rather than automatic synchronization, causing the two sources to slowly diverge.
Expectation that the link "automatically takes care of everything". A machine builder assumes that connecting the ERP system to the passport platform also handles labeling and QR placement on the product. These are two separate processes: the link manages the data flow, but the question how the QR code gets on the battery is a physical and logistical matter that is separate from the system link.
Not accounting for replacement parts. When selling replacement batteries, the link is set up for new sales, but not for the situation in which a battery is replaced under warranty. This creates a gap: there is no existing passport and no automatically created new passport, whereas the question of whether a replacement battery receives its own passport is precisely relevant in that process.
Link set up without agreement on who enters the data. In companies with a separate procurement and sales department, there is confusion about who is responsible for providing the correct information to the passport platform: the department that purchases the battery, or the department that manages inventory. Without a documented agreement, that task falls between two stools.
What you can record
- An overview of which field in the ERP or inventory system corresponds to which data in the passport, so that a link — automatic or manual — remains verifiable.
- An agreement on who within the company is responsible for providing and keeping data up to date towards the passport platform.
- A standard procedure for creating a new passport for replacement parts, including the moment when this is recorded in the inventory system.
- A check on the identification system used (internal code, GS1 or otherwise) before a link is technically set up.
- A log of changes that have been made in both the ERP system and in the passport, so that during an inspection it is clear that both sources are in sync.
- Documentation of agreements with the hosting partner on the form and frequency of data exchange.
This is not legal advice. This page provides general information about the legislation that this platform covers. We do not know your situation. If in doubt about your own case, consult a lawyer or the competent supervisory authority.
Written with AI based on the sources above, checked by a human on 2026-08-22. Is something wrong? Let us know — corrections take priority.