Assessment of harmonised standards for 'common chargers' for rechargeable batteries powering light means of transport and specific categories of electrical and electronic equipment covered by Directive 2012/19/EU : technical support to implement the new batteries regulation between 2023 and 2025 : final report; Task 1

An increasing number of products are battery-powered, leading to a wide range of different battery charging systems. For a selection of handheld electronic devices, common charging interfaces using USB-C connectors were recently adopted under Directive (EU) 2022/2380 for radio equipment (RED). Additionally, interoperability requirements are analysed in the revision of the Ecodesign Regulation (EU) 2019/1782 on external power supplies (EPS). A number of rechargeable products are, however, not yet addressed by existing legislation. In response to this, Article 94(6) of the Batteries Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 requires the Commission to 'assess how best to introduce harmonised standards for a common charger for, respectively, rechargeable batteries designed for light means of transport, as well as for rechargeable batteries incorporated into specific categories of electrical and electronic equipment covered by Directive 2012/19/EU'. This report aims to support the Commission with this assessment through a combination of desk research and stakeholder consultation. From November 2023 to June 2024, the project team conducted 26 stakeholder interviews with manufacturers, fleet management operators, trade associations and standards organisations active in the light means of transport and power and garden tools sectors. Slides containing a summary of preliminary findings were shared to stakeholder groups with the request for feedback in May 2024, with a presentation and discussion of these findings taking place on May 8th, 2024, in an online workshop with 73 participants. The task 1 study follows a structure according to six sub-tasks set out by the Commission, as outlined in Chapter 1 on objectives and background. In chapter 2, the project team aims to define what is meant by a "common charger", refine the scope for the study and determine drivers and barriers for common chargers in general. In chapter 3 a mapping of existing standards and existing legislation is made. In chapter 4, the key technical parameters to consider for interoperability are outlined, before a detailed assessment of key characteristics of the product groups LMT and power and garden tools is made. Chapter 5 contains a gap analysis relating to the existing standards and legislation for these two product groups, while Chapter 6 gives an overview of the stakeholder consultation activities. Finally, in chapter 7 the key findings and conclusions are presented.