SB615 - Vehicle traction batteries.

Enrolled September 04, 2026 Passed IN Senate August 31, 2026 Passed IN Assembly August 30, 2026 Amended IN Assembly August 20, 2026 Amended IN Assembly July 01, 2026 Amended IN Assembly September 02, 2025 Amended IN Assembly July 07, 2025 Amended IN Senate May 23, 2025 Amended IN Senate April 07, 2025 CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION Senate Bill No. 615 Introduced by Senator Allen (Coauthor: Assembly Member Bauer-Kahan) February 20, 2025 An act to add Part 11 (commencing with Section 44480) to Division 26 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to vehicle traction batteries. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SB 615, Allen. Vehicle traction batteries. Existing law requires the Secretary for Environmental Protection to convene the Lithium-Ion Car Battery Recycling Advisory Group to review, and advise the Legislature on, policies pertaining to the recovery and recycling of lithium-ion vehicle batteries sold with motor vehicles in the state. Existing law also requires the advisory group to submit policy recommendations to the Legislature aimed at ensuring that as close to 100% as possible of lithium-ion vehicle batteries in the state are reused or recycled at end of life in a safe and cost-effective manner. Existing law designates the State Air Resources Board as the state agency charged with coordinating efforts to attain and maintain ambient air quality standards and to regulate emissions from motor vehicles. Existing state board regulations require certain new motor vehicles to be equipped with specified traction battery labels. This bill would require, commencing July 1, 2028, a battery supplier, as defined, to equip a new vehicle traction battery sold in the state with a permanent label containing only specified information, as provided. The bill would require a remanufacturer to rebrand and relabel a remanufactured vehicle traction battery, as provided. The bill would require each battery supplier and remanufacturer, no later than 90 days after the chaptering of the act, to register with the state board and provide the state board with specified information. The bill would require those entities to update that registration and information annually and upon request of the board, as provided. The bill would require the state board to adopt regulations no later than July 1, 2031, to implement and enforce these provisions and would require the state board to determine the most cost-effective means to accept required electronic submissions, as provided. This bill would require battery suppliers, beginning July 1, 2029, and annually thereafter, to pay the state board a fee sufficient to cover the state board’s full personnel, administrative, regulatory, and loan and interest costs related to implementing and enforcing these provisions. The bill would require the state board to create a tiered fee schedule based on each battery supplier’s share of total in-state vehicle registrations with vehicle traction batteries 10 years prior, and would exempt establishment of and updates to that schedule from the Administrative Procedure Act. The bill would establish the Vehicle Traction Battery Recovery Fund (fund) in the State Treasury and would require the state board to deposit all fee moneys into the fund, as specified. Moneys in the fund would be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, only to implement and enforce these provisions, and to reimburse specified loans and interest. The bill would authorize, upon appropriation by the Legislature, the Director of Finance to make a loan from an unspecified fund to the fund to meet regulatory and startup costs of the state board’s activities pursuant to these provisions. The state board’s duties under the bill would be contingent upon an appropriation for these purposes. Digest Key Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NO Bill Text The people of the State of California do enact as follows: SECTION 1. The Legislature hereby finds and declares all of the following: (a) As the State of California continues its commitment to decarbonizing the on-road transportation sector, and as electric vehicles become more cost competitive and popular with consumers, the state will see an increase in the number of vehicle traction batteries. (b) A vehicle traction battery that is no longer useful in a vehicle can be repurposed for another application, remanufactured, or recycled. Given the growth expected in California’s electric vehicle market, the value inherent in the material used to manufacture vehicle batteries, and the potential hazard posed by these batteries if handled improperly, California has an interest in creating a coherent state policy designed to ensure all vehicle traction batteries are reused, repaired, repurposed, remanufactured, and eventually recycled. (c) The Legislature passed and the Governor signed Assembly Bill 2832 of the 2017–18 Regular Session, calling for the formation of an advisory group of experts to develop policy recommendations aimed at ensuring that as close to 100 percent as possible of electric vehicle traction batteries in the state are reused or recycled at end of life in a safe and cost-effective manner. This advisory group published a report in March 2022 summarizing their work, detailing barriers and opportunities for improving management of these batteries, and presenting policies designed to further the currently developing circular economy, avoid adverse impacts to public health and the environment, and to keep these batteries out of the waste stream. (d) Proper labeling of vehicle traction batteries is crucial for secondary handlers, such as automobile dismantlers, to identify the batteries and determine their disposition for potential reuse, repair, remanufacturing, or repurposing; for the safe handling and transport of the batteries; and for recyclers to properly recycle the batteries for efficient critical mineral recovery. SEC. 2. It is the policy of the State of California that any program designed to ensure proper end-of-life management of vehicle traction batteries first strives to reuse, repair, repurpose, or remanufacture vehicle traction batteries when possible. When a vehicle traction battery is no longer used in any application, the program shall ensure the vehicle traction batteries are recycled. Disposal of these vehicle traction batteries should be discouraged and ultimately eliminated in support of achieving a circular economy. SEC. 3. Part 11 (commencing with Section 44480) is added to Division 26 of the Health and Safety Code, to read: PART 11. Vehicle Traction Batteries 44480. For purposes of this part, the following definitions apply: (a) “Battery cell” means the basic electrochemical unit of a battery that consists of an anode, a cathode, and an electrolyte and is used to store and release electrical energy. (b) “Battery module” means an array of multiple battery cells connected in series or parallel and encased in one structure. (c) “Battery supplier” means all of the following: (1) The vehicle manufacturer of the vehicle containing the vehicle traction battery, unless the vehicle traction battery is an aftermarket part. If a vehicle’s vehicle traction battery is replaced with an original equipment manufacturer’s vehicle traction battery, the battery supplier is the vehicle manufacturer. (2) If a replacement vehicle traction battery is not an original equipment manufacturer’s vehicle traction battery for the vehicle but instead an aftermarket vehicle traction battery, the entity that owns or licenses the trademark of the replacement vehicle traction battery is the battery supplier, if that entity is in the state. (3) If there is no person in the state who is the battery supplier for purposes of paragraph (1) or (2), the battery supplier is the importer, distributor, retailer, dealer, or wholesaler who sells, offers for sale, distributes, deals, leases, or offers for lease the aftermarket vehicle traction battery in or into the state. (d) “Board” means the State Air Resources Board. (e) “Brand” means a name, symbol, word, or mark that identifies a vehicle traction battery rather than its components, and attributes the vehicle traction battery to the owner or licensee of the brand as the battery supplier, such as a trademark as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 14202 of the Business and Professions Code, whether registered or unregistered. (f) “Dealer” has the same meaning as in Section 285 of the Vehicle Code. (g) “Motor vehicle” has the same meaning as in Section 415 of the Vehicle Code. (h) “Person” has the same meaning as in Section 40170 of the Public Resources Code. (i) “Remanufacturer” means a person, other than the battery supplier regarding its own batteries, who engages in remanufacturing of vehicle traction batteries. A person is a remanufacturer even if the person never makes modifications to the battery or the person’s modifications to the battery are unsuccessful. (j) “Remanufacturing” means a standardized industrial process through which battery cores are returned to same-as-new, or better, condition and performance, which process is in line with specific technical specifications, including engineering, quality, and testing standards. (k) “Vehicle manufacturer” has the same meaning as in Section 672 of the Vehicle Code. (l) “Vehicle traction battery” means an advanced battery technology used as a traction battery to propel a motor vehicle, including a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, that is required to be registered pursuant to Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 4000) of Division 3 of the Vehicle Code, also known as a battery pack. This definition does not include a “lead-acid battery,” as defined in Section 25215.1. 44480.1. (a) Commencing July 1, 2028, a new vehicle traction battery sold in the state shall be equipped by its battery supplier with a permanent label. The label shall include only the following information: (1) The name of the battery supplier for the vehicle traction battery. (2) The date of manufacture for the vehicle traction battery. (3) An identification of the chemistry of the vehicle traction battery, including the cathode type and anode type, such as in accordance with SAE International standard SAE J2984, “Chemical Identification of Transportation Batteries for Recycling.” (4) The rated capacity or energy as measured by the SAE International standard SAE J2288, “Life Cycle Testing of Electric Vehicle Battery Modules.” (5) The hazardous substances contained in the vehicle traction battery. (6) Product safety and recall information. (7) Safe disposal information. (b) A battery supplier shall attach the label to the exterior of the vehicle traction battery so that the label is visible and accessible when the vehicle traction battery is removed from the vehicle in accordance with the manufacturer's recommended procedures for battery removal. The label shall remain legible, adhered, and functionally intact under expected environmental and life-cycle conditions within the vehicle. (c) To comply with paragraphs (3) to (7), inclusive, of subdivision (a), a battery supplier may apply a quick response (QR) code to the battery pack that links to a data repository internet website. The data repository internet website may include information that covers a period representing multiple dates of manufacture if the rest of the label information required by subdivision (a) is consistent across the multiple dates of manufacture and the data repository internet website entry includes the applicable range of dates of manufacture. (d) A remanufacturer shall rebrand and relabel the vehicle traction battery with the remanufacturer’s brand. If the original label remains, the remanufacturer shall place the new label adjacent to the original label and clearly identify the original label as obsolete. If the remanufacturer alters the vehicle traction battery’s composition or chemistry, the remanufacturer shall update the label or provide a new data repository internet website link or QR code to reflect the new composition. 44480.2. (a) The board, acting in accordance with Article 1 (commencing with Section 11340) to Article 8 (commencing with Section 11350), inclusive, of the Administrative Procedure Act, as set forth in Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, shall adopt regulations to implement and enforce this part with an effective date no later than July 1, 2031. This subdivision does not preclude the board from adopting additional or differing battery labeling requirements for battery suppliers. (b) The board shall determine the most cost-effective means to accept electronic submissions from battery suppliers and remanufacturers that are required to submit information pursuant to this part. For submissions due before the most cost-effective means is accessible, the battery supplier or remanufacturer shall provide submissions to the board electronically in a form and manner provided by the board. (c) If the federal government creates a battery labeling requirement, the board shall review, evaluate, and compare the federal requirements to those established under this part. It shall, if necessary, revise the regulations pursuant to this section to ensure consistency and achieve greater efficiency and feasibility. 44480.3. (a) No later than 90 days after the chaptering of the act adding this part, each battery supplier and remanufacturer shall register with the board by providing the board with the battery supplier’s or remanufacturer’s contact information, including the battery supplier’s or remanufacturer’s name, physical and mailing address, email address, and telephone number, and a list of vehicle traction battery types and brands of vehicle traction batteries that the battery supplier or remanufacturer sells, distributes for sale, imports for sale, or offers for sale in or into the state. (b) (1) A battery supplier or remanufacturer shall update its registry and the list described in subdivision (a) and provide the updated list to the board on or before July 1 of each year, and upon request of the board. (2) All notifications shall be submitted to the board in the form and manner established pursuant to Section 44480.2. (3) If a battery supplier or remanufacturer is already registered with the board and has provided the information in subdivision (a), the entity shall be deemed to have met the requirements of subdivision (a). 44480.4. (a) Beginning July 1, 2029, and annually thereafter, battery suppliers shall pay to the board a fee covering the board’s full personnel, administrative, regulatory, and loan and interest costs related to implementing and enforcing this part. (b) The board shall create a tiered fee schedule for fees owed pursuant to subdivision (a) that shall generate fee revenue sufficient to cover the board’s full personnel, administrative, regulatory, and loan and interest c [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]