Creating a sustainable and transparent battery supply chain is leading to the adoption of numerous new technologies and innovations. One of the key technologies is the Digital Twin Technology.
Digital Twin is the keystone for creating a functional digital battery passport. Digital Twins are virtual replicas of real-world batteries. It receives continuous updates with real-time data to mirror its state, performance, and life history.
In this article, we’ll explore how Digital Twins work with battery passports and lay the groundwork for traceable, secure, and intelligent battery management.
What Is a Digital Twin?
A digital twin replicates a physical object. In the context of digital battery passports, it replicates batteries in a virtual environment. This allows the manufacturer to monitor, simulate, and analyse the battery throughout its entire lifecycle.
The digital twin, the virtual counterpart of the battery, collects data throughout manufacturing, operation, and end-of-life phases to provide continuous insights, identify failures, optimise the battery, and predict maintenance more accurately.
Digital Twins in Battery Passports
Digital Battery Passports require high volumes of accurate, harmonised data, as well as secure sharing across different stakeholders. Digital twins form the backbone of this infrastructure by offering:
- A centralised data model that updates dynamically as the physical battery changes.
- Secure access controls tailored to different stakeholders, so sensitive data remains protected.
- Standardised architecture capable of evolving with regulatory demands.
It includes a Digital Twin Registry and an Aspect Model Catalogue to manage vast datasets. This dataset includes information from performance statistics to material composition. The relevant information is then securely shared with designated stakeholders.
Digital Twins in the EU Regulatory Context
EU’s upcoming regulation requires battery passports to be mandatory for industrial and EV batteries of more than 2kwh from February 2027. To implement this, manufacturers need robust traceability, compliance tracking, and lifecycle transparency.
Digital twins address these requirements effectively. A CEPS analysis notes that digital battery passports with dynamic virtual models can help to dismantle information silos, simplify compliance checks, and support recycling and circular economy goals.
Digital twins also align with the EU’s broader Digital Product Passport initiative, which is expected to expand across multiple product categories by 2030. Digital twins facilitate traceable and standard-compliant data flow, which is essential for repair, reuse, and circularity objectives.
Digital Twins and Advanced Battery Management
Digital twins not only support traceability but also improve operational efficiency. For example, in battery packs, digital twins facilitate predictive maintenance, performance optimisation, and comprehensive monitoring. This provides a more accurate battery health diagnosis, as well as safer second-life applications.
Research also shows how digital twins can enhance cybersecurity. As digital twins serve as a virtual guardrail, they can help detect tampering, counterfeit components, and irregular operations, which are critical considerations across the battery lifecycle.
Closing Thoughts
Digital twin technology is the core component for the realisation of digital battery passports. With the help of a virtual replica that mirrors the real-world battery data securely and in real-time, digital twins provide full lifecycle transparency, traceability, and regulatory compliance.
Project like BASE Battery Passport showcase how digital twin infrastructure can streamline battery passport generation and stakeholder access. Within the EU context, digital twins support both battery-specific mandates and overarching digital product requirements, helping to achieve supply chain integrity and circular economy goals.
High-performing battery management and sustainable supply chains increasingly depend on digital twins. As developers, manufacturers, and regulators prepare for the 2027 battery passport rollout, digital twin systems will be foundational to achieving transparency, security, and operational intelligence.
References
- Digital twin - Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_twin
- Implementing the EU digital battery passport - CEPS: https://www.ceps.eu/ceps-publications/implementing-the-eu-digital-battery-passport/
- EU Digital Product Passport - Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EU_Digital_Product_Passport
- Driving sustainability - The role of digital twin in enhancing battery performance for electric vehicles - ScienceDirect: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378775324004154
- Advancing Security with Digital Twins: A Comprehensive Survey: https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.17310