What counts as an LMT battery
The battery passport applies to batteries for light means of transport. What the Regulation means by that, from e-bikes and e-scooters to e-mopeds, and where the line with other categories runs.
The definition
Article 3 of the Batteries Regulation defines an LMT battery as a battery that is sealed, weighs 25 kg or less and is specifically designed to provide electric power for the traction of wheeled vehicles that can be powered by an electric motor alone or by a combination of motor and human power. Type-approved L-category vehicles are included, unless the battery counts as an electric-vehicle battery.
So three things decide it: the battery drives the vehicle, the vehicle runs on wheels, and the battery weighs 25 kg or less.
Which vehicles
The recitals name e-bikes and e-scooters as examples. In practice the definition covers:
E-bikes and pedelecs, where the motor assists pedalling
E-cargo bikes
Speed pedelecs and e-mopeds, which are type-approved L-category vehicles
E-scooters
Light e-motorbikes, as long as the battery weighs 25 kg or less
The Regulation doesn’t list vehicles. For anything else on wheels with a battery that drives it, such as an e-skateboard or a self-balancing board, check the product against the definition. According to the recitals, batteries that drive rail vehicles, boats, aircraft or off-road machinery are industrial batteries.
The 25 kg line
The weight is that of the battery, not of the vehicle. A battery of more than 25 kg that drives an L-category vehicle, such as a heavier e-motorbike, is an electric-vehicle battery. It needs a passport from the same date, but some other rules differ.
A light battery doesn’t become a portable battery either. Portable batteries weigh 5 kg or less, but their definition excludes LMT batteries, so an e-scooter battery of 3 kg is still an LMT battery and still needs a passport.
Batteries on a bike that aren’t LMT batteries
Only the battery that drives the vehicle counts. A small battery for lights, a display, an alarm or a GPS tracker is usually a portable battery. From 18 February 2027 it needs a QR code, but no passport.
One battery or two
The passport belongs to the finished battery: the working product with its battery management system, not the cells or modules inside. According to the Commission’s FAQ, packs that share one battery management system and only work together form one battery with one passport. Packs that each work on their own, such as a second battery or a range extender, are separate batteries with a passport each.
Conversion kits and DIY packs
A battery in a kit that turns an ordinary bike into an e-bike is designed to drive it, so it is an LMT battery like any other.
Cells and modules sold as components for a battery that is completed in the EU don’t need a passport themselves; the company that completes the battery provides it. The Commission’s FAQ makes one exception: cells or modules placed on the market as a do-it-yourself kit that end-users can put together with commonly available tools.
Does this apply to your batteries?
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More about the battery passport
The battery passport
What it is, which batteries need one and what goes in it.
Read →Who is responsible
Brands, assemblers, importers, shops and refurbishers: who provides the passport.
Read →Spare and replacement batteries
Spare packs, batteries swapped during a repair, and the rules on replaceability and spare parts.
Read →Batteries already in stock
What 18 February 2027 means for batteries in your warehouse, at dealers and in transit.
Read →The other battery rules
CE marking, declaration of conformity, markings, producer registration and take-back.
Read →
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