The EU Wants A Return To Replaceable Batteries In Smartphones. Is It A Good Idea?

The European Union is becoming increasingly interested in mobile devices such as phones and tablets. After it ordered the mandatory transition to the USB-C port not only for smartphones, there is news that a change in legislation is on the way, which will ensure a higher level of ecology in the field of batteries.

The new regulation deals with the entire life cycle of the battery, from the extraction of materials for its production to its disposal. However, the user will be most affected by the rebirth of the possibility to replace the battery in a smartphone without service intervention.

In addition, the labeling of accumulators should be improved so that the user can easily navigate them. The label will have to contain a QR code, information on capacity, endurance, resistance, chemical composition and a warning that the battery should not be disposed of in normal waste.

The rules are also changing for manufacturers who, among other things, will have to comply with a set minimum level of recyclable materials such as cobalt, lead, lithium and nickel in their production processes.

It's not just about smartphones

The new legislation does not focus purely on smartphones or tablets. More ecological regulations also apply to batteries that are used to power classic cars, electric cars, electric scooters, e-motorcycles and similar devices with a capacity of over 2 kWh.

Accumulators will have to have a kind of "electronic passport", which must also contain information about the battery model, its specifications and the purposes for which it can be used.

After the proposal is eventually approved, manufacturers will have three and a half years to incorporate these changes. So new smartphone models will have to adapt to easy battery disassembly and replacement.

What is it good for?

Looking back, it is obvious that it will not be so easy. The memory of phone back covers that were difficult to disassemble or, on the contrary, opened too easily on their own, is not the most pleasant. On the other hand, the vast majority of smartphones today do not last more than a day on a single charge.

This opens up the possibility to buy several batteries, charge them in advance and then only replace them if charging is not available, for example on a trip in the mountains. However, such rotation of batteries is almost unnecessary due to the current trend of powerful chargers that can charge the phone within 15 or 20 minutes, and due to the affordability of power banks.

However, ecology and the ability to buy a battery at a good price and replace it quickly and by yourself are important. Separating the battery and its proper disposal should now be much easier than at present.

It remains to be hoped that the markings on the labels will be really clear and that every layman will be able to replace the batteries. There are also concerns about how the designers of individual manufacturers will manage the replaceability of batteries and the strength of the covers.

The new rules come from a draft from December 2020 and are awaiting official final approval by the European Union authorities. The Council of the EU and the European Parliament have so far only tentatively agreed on them.