EU's new battery rule could change your iPhone and iPad forever

A new set of regulations might force iPhones, iPads, and Macs sold by 2027 to allow users to easily replace their batteries

- JASON CROSS

The European Council, a governing body that decides regulations for European Union member states, just adopted a massive new battery regulation (fave.co/3Y80oPJ). Technically, it's a set of amendments and repeals to earlier battery directives, aimed at providing a more ecologically sound energy storage infrastructure for the EU.

Once the European Parliament and European Council sign the regulation, it will set into motion a major shift in the battery industry. In theory it only applies to EU member states, but that's a massive part of the world economy and will have global effects.

Notably, the regulations will require that portable devices-including phones, tablets, and laptops-have batteries that users can easily replace without requiring any special tools or training. That would necessitate a massive shift in design from Apple for its iPhones, iPads, and Macs.

A SMALL PART OF A BIG SET OF REGULATIONS 

The full set of regulations (fave.co/ 44Cesn9) is hundreds of pages long and mostly concerns the materials, manufacture, and end-of-life treatment of batteries. Central to the new rules is the formation of a circular battery economy, with hard targets on the reclamation of waste batteries (63 percent by the end of 2027 and 73 percent by the end of 2030 for portable batteries) and lithium recovery (50 percent by the end of 2027 and 80 percent by the end of 2031).

There are also recycling targets, including mandatory minimum levels of recycled content for industrial, SLI (standard, light, and ignition) batteries, and EV batteries. Battery material sourcing documentation is going to be a critical part of the process.