Car giant debuts EV ‘health passports’ allowing second-hand buyers to easily check battery condition

Battery health is one of the biggest concerns for EV drivers, with the Green Finance Institute (GFI) finding that ‘fear of poor battery health is the single biggest barrier preventing the used EV market from taking off’.

But Kia has become the first manufacturer to publicly trial a battery passport it says will ‘mark a major step forward in battery transparency’ – a move that could remove fear regarding EV adoption.

Kia says the passport enables live State of Health (SoH) tracking, real-time repair diagnostics, and end-to-end traceability across the battery’s lifecycle.

Crucially, the benefits for EV drivers are an extended battery life, more affordable maintenance, and a higher level of trust when buying or selling used EVs. 

Marc Hedrich, president and CEO at Kia Europe said: ‘Through testing cell-level battery passports, we gain insights on what ownership benefits we can offer our customers. 

‘On top of advantages such as extended battery life, we will be building on a relationship of trust as well.’

Kia has become the first manufacturer to publicly trial a battery passport which promises to ‘mark a major step forward in battery transparency’ 

The trial takes place with an EV3 model – Kia’s small electric SUV offering – equipped with a Dukosi battery cell monitoring system.

The trial vehicle is capable of monitoring and transmitting live data for each cell of the battery pack and uploading it to its digital battery passport.

Once the data is uploaded it can be accessed as real-time information through the car’s infotainment system so everyone from driver to mechanic and regulator can view it.

Kia says that accuracy and traceability throughout the battery’s lifecycle are ensured by the system automatically updating after any repair work. 

Because Kia’s system looks at the data for each battery cell, it gives a much more in-depth data collection and means that customers can identify and address maintenance issues early due to real-time SoH insights. 

Cell-specific repairs can be targeted, with individual cells replaced instead of complete modules, also saving time and money.

The trial vehicle is capable of monitoring and transmitting live data for each cell of the battery pack and uploading it to its digital battery passport.

Kia says it will make EV batteries smarter, cheaper and cleaner for customers, with the trust in turn supporting higher resale values.

The level of transparency brought by Kia’s battery passport will inform decisions regarding batter reuse and recycling, which makes it easier to keep EV batteries on the market longer and reduce waste. 

To access the battery passport data collected during the trial, a data-sharing pilot environment, developed by TNO, was utilised.

A bit like when car safety systems are opened up to the whole of automotive to use, the SoH system could be configured for other EV models, different brands or even for application in different sectors. 

And Delft University of Technology, together with Hyundai Motor Group, coordinated the collaborative passport trial. 

Kia says the battery passport will go beyond regulatory requirements by including additional safety-related data, ensuring an exemplary standard that sets a benchmark for the industry. 

The car brand aims to provide this service for all electric and hybrid models sold in Europe by February 2027, as required by the EU battery regulation.