Belgian producer responsibility organisation Febelauto, responsible for processing end-of-life vehicles and their batteries, has published new guidelines, a decision tree and posters for anyone working with batteries from electric and hybrid vehicles, Prebes reported on 16 September 2026.
Recognising critical batteries
The guidelines target sellers, storage facilities, diagnostic centres, dismantlers, transporters and processors in Belgium. Central to the guidance is a decision tree used to assess whether a battery is “critical” and therefore requires special handling. Signals indicating a critical battery include visible damage (deformation, leaks, burn marks), abnormal heat development, smoke, odours or hissing sounds, a battery that has been involved in an accident or fire, or an unknown history with fault codes. Once removed from a vehicle, a discarded battery is classified as hazardous waste.
New legal obligations
Recognised centres must meet specific standards for the storage, handling and transport of batteries, with a separate, stricter set of standards for centres that also process hybrid and electric vehicle batteries. The EU Battery Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 additionally mandates labelling: Article 74 requires sales and repair points to display posters informing both customers and employees about safe battery use. From 18 February 2027, a battery passport will also become mandatory for industrial and electric vehicle batteries above 2 kWh.
The guidelines are relevant to EHS professionals worldwide, as virtually every country with a growing fleet of electric vehicles faces similar questions around the storage and transport safety of damaged or end-of-life batteries.
Source: Hoe kan je batterijen van geëlektrificeerde voertuigen veilig behandelen en opslaan?, 16 September 2026
