Mainland China plans to introduce "digital IDs" for new-energy vehicle (NEV) power batteries to improve life-cycle supervision and promote safe recycling, as announced by the country's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). The initiative is part of new regulations designed to standardize the handling of retired batteries, with the expectation that the volume of retired batteries in mainland China could surpass 1 million metric tons annually by 2030.

Wang Peng, head of the Energy Conservation and Comprehensive Utilization Department at the ministry, stated at a news conference in Beijing that these digital IDs will be linked to each battery's unique code to track its journey from production through to final reuse. This innovation applies digital technology to oversee the full life cycle of power batteries.

The regulations, roughly translated as the interim measures for the recycling and comprehensive utilization of retired NEV power batteries, are part of a collaboratively issued document by MIIT and five other ministries. They define recycling responsibilities for battery and automotive manufacturers.

Due to rising sales of NEVs, mainland China anticipates a rapid increase in retired batteries, which, if improperly handled, can cause environmental and safety risks. Proper recycling can reclaim valuable materials such as lithium, cobalt and nickel.

Wang emphasized that consumers should ensure end-of-life vehicles and batteries are processed by authorized recyclers to prevent public safety and environmental threats from informal disposal channels. Progress in recycling has already been noted, with over 400,000 metric tons of retired NEV batteries comprehensively reused in mainland China in 2025, marking a year-over-year increase of 32.9%, with leading enterprises achieving internationally advanced recovery rates for key metals.

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