Choosing passport services: four types, ten questions
Building one battery passport usually means dealing with four different service types. Know who solves what before comparing prices — it is also your best defense against oversized bundles.
1. Who solves what
| Type | Solves | Needed when | Key RFQ question |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passport software / platform | Data collection, passport generation & hosting, QR, tiered access, versioning | Every in-scope battery (mandatory from 18 Feb 2027) | The ten questions below |
| Carbon accounting | Battery carbon-footprint calculation (EU methodology) & third-party verification | CF-applicable batches (methodology awaiting delegated acts) | Do you apply the EU Battery Regulation methodology? Is the report acceptable to EU verifiers? |
| Testing & certification | Performance/safety testing, DoC support, due-diligence audits | Mandatory-tier data; due diligence from 18 Aug 2027 | Do reports map to Annex XIII fields? Turnaround time? |
| Qualified e-seals (QTSP) | eIDAS qualified seals (QSeal) and validation support | You are the registering entity and a legal person | The five-question list in the QSeal guide |
2. Ten demo questions for passport software
- Which battery-category field sets do you support? Can you ingest LMT real-time metrics (points 62-66) from our BMS?
- Which unique-identifier issuing agencies do you support (GS1 and other ISO/IEC 15459 agencies)?
- Registry integration: how do you handle the unique-identifier upload to the EU registry, and how do you deliver updates as Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1778 evolves?
- Where is data hosted, and does the persistence commitment outlive the battery (a statutory duty, Art 77(6))?
- How are tiered access levels (public / repairer / recycler / authority) configured, and are permission changes audited?
- Supplier collaboration: can our upstream (cell / material) suppliers get accounts — with a Chinese interface?
- How are versioning and change audit trails implemented (the registry requires them)?
- Data export: can we export everything at any time, and in which format? (lock-in test)
- Pricing model: per model / per unit / annual? Implementation and training fees?
- References: live deployments in our category (EV / LMT / storage)?
3. Vendor snapshot (evidence-labeled)
| Vendor | Type | Public positioning (labeled) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spherity (VERA) | Passport software | Manufacturing focus; listed as a Pioneer in Gartner’s Aug 2026 DPP Emerging Market Quadrant (official disclosure) | Official disclosure checked 2026-10 |
| TrusTrace | Passport software | Fashion / supply-chain end-to-end; Supply Chain Intelligence launched Sep 2026 (official disclosure) | Official disclosure checked 2026-10 |
| 3E (3E Exchange) | Data platform | Claims a million-scale DPP database (official disclosure) | To verify battery references unconfirmed |
| osapiens | Compliance platform | Appears directly in selection-intent search suggestions | To verify |
| TÜV Rheinland / SGS / Bureau Veritas / DNV | Testing & cert | TÜV Rheinland co-authored China battery-passport white paper (2024); SGS launched a new-energy enablement center with battery-passport data services (Mar 2026) (public reporting) | Public reporting checked 2026-10 |
| China-side platforms (e.g. CATL-linked battery ID platform, industry pilots) | Domestic schemes | China battery digital passport pilots (public reporting) | To verify EU-side interoperability differs per scheme |
| QTSPs (e.g. eIDAS-listed seal providers) | Qualified e-seals | QSeal issuance with DPP registry support (official disclosure) | To verify check the EU Trusted List |
Why we don’t publish scores
Comparisons without a shared test sample are secondhand rehashes. Our policy: label official disclosures and public reporting as such, and mark everything untested as “to verify”. We are preparing a hands-on comparison — one fictional battery sample walked through 3-5 vendors’ data import, permissions and export — and every tested row will be tagged “demonstrated”.
4. Cost structure (no fake totals)
A passport’s real cost has five components; vendor variance concentrates in ② and ③:
- Data readiness: internal hours + upstream collection (usually the largest item);
- Software subscription: per model / volume / year — request quotes;
- Testing & accounting: gap tests + carbon footprint where applicable;
- Seals & validation: QSeal + organisation validation when you register;
- Operations: dynamic updates and version management staffing.
We deliberately do not offer a “enter three parameters, get a price” calculator — without real quote samples, precise-looking numbers mislead. Need help structuring your cost breakdown? See the paid pilot description on Contact.