Including Switch! The European Union will require all handheld devices to have replaceable batteries

The European Union will require all handheld devices, including Switch, to have replaceable batteries

【Phoneauto News】Recently, the news about the “EU’s strictest battery regulations” has attracted a lot of attention. The reason is that the European Parliament passed the revision of the EU Battery Directive last month, and the Council approved the regulation on July 13 (Monday).

It is reported that this bill will require iPhones to use removable batteries. However, according to recent reports, the scope of the EU’s impact this time goes far beyond just mobile phones. According to the newly passed EU regulations, from 2027 onwards, new mobile phones and handheld gaming devices sold in the EU region will need to be equipped with replaceable batteries.

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Specifically, “replaceable batteries” means that the device’s battery can be easily removed with tools available on the market. If this cannot be achieved, the manufacturer needs to provide dedicated tools for free. This means that in addition to smartphones, handheld consoles like Switch and SteamDeck also need to consider the convenience of battery replacement in their design. At the same time, this new regulation also means that users have the right to replace the battery themselves when the battery performance deteriorates, instead of relying solely on official or third-party repair channels as they currently do.

In addition, it introduces customized collection targets for waste batteries of light transport vehicles, defining light transport vehicles as wheeled vehicles with electric motor power less than 750 watts. These targets are set to reach 51% by the end of 2028 and 61% by the end of 2031.

For the recovery of lithium from waste batteries, the target is set to reach 50% by the end of 2027 and 80% by the end of 2031. It also introduces mandatory minimum recycling content levels for industrial, rechargeable lead-acid SLI batteries, and electric vehicle (EV) batteries. These are initially set at 16% for cobalt, 85% for lead, 6% for lithium, and 6% for nickel.

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