Big win for right to repair with new EU rules for batteries - but legislators must get the implementation right
*In an important development for the right to repair, the European Parliament just approved a new battery regulation. The progress made on battery removability and availability is a step in the right direction, although the affordability of repair must still be addressed – in both the battery regulation and the European Commission’s linked “Right to Repair” proposal.
In a big success for the right to repair, all new portable devices and light means of transport put on the market will now have to be designed with replaceable batteries. In many cases users will be able to replace them themselves. Manufacturers will also have to make batteries available as spare parts for 5 years after placing the last unit of a model on the market. The text states that spare batteries must be sold at a reasonable and non-discriminatory price, and we will keep a eye on OEMs to make sure that this is actually implemented
We also celebrate that manufacturers will no longer be able to use the unfair practice of part-pairing in batteries, which they use to attempt to control what spare parts should be used for repairs.
1. Elsewhere
1.1. In my garden
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