Skip to main content
Success stories from North Rhine-Westphalia

Albert Seine GmbH

The digital battery passport is coming in 2027 – Seine already offers it now

Battery systems are becoming increasingly important. With their rapid growth, questions about production conditions, the origin of raw materials, and subsequent recyclability are also becoming more pressing. From 2027, this information must be documented in a digital battery passport. Albert Seine GmbH from Dülmen, together with a partner, has already developed an innovative solution for this.

Navigate to the next section

The challenge

More and more electric vehicles are on German roads. And not only there: Electric drive is also playing an increasingly important role in intralogistics, i.e., logistics within company premises. Tens of thousands of industrial trucks, such as forklifts, are used there, and many of them are electric. With the increasing number of electric vehicles, the demand for batteries to power them is also rising. This brings questions about production and the materials used increasingly to the forefront. Therefore, according to the EU Battery Regulation, a digital battery passport will be mandatory from February 2027. Every battery placed on the market – this includes low-voltage batteries, industrial batteries, and traction batteries – must then have such a passport. This passport will enable battery traceability. It will contain information about the CO₂ intensity of the manufacturing process, as well as the origin and composition of the materials used. It willalso include information on raw materials used, hazardous chemicals, and repair, repurposing, and dismantling processes. The battery passport is also intended to provide information on how the respective battery must be treated at the end of its life cycle, whether and how it can be recycled and reused.

Commissioned by:

  • Photos: Albert Seine GmbH
  • Text: Lothar Schmitz, business journalist, Bonn
  • Publication: December 2024

The innovation

Albert Seine GmbH in Dülmen has been working with battery systems for intralogistics for over 40 years. For its in-house developed battery systems, the company also offers charging technology, charging stations with intelligent interfaces, and energy management software for efficient distribution and minimal use of the generated electricity. A second pillar of the business is buffer storage systems for industrial and commercial customers. These are becoming increasingly important as more electricity in Germany comes from sustainable sources. Wherever electricity is generated at one time – for example, during the day – but needed at another – for example, at night – intermediate storage is indispensable. "We are seeing massive growth here," reports Managing Director Saredin Seine. The medium-sized company also addressed the issue of battery passports early on. The criteria for their mandatory implementation apply 100 percent to the company's large-scale systems. In other words, "We had to prepare for this," emphasizes Saredin Seine. Together with a partner company from Münster, Albert Seine GmbH has created a digital infrastructure to provide all customers with all the necessary data. This allows not only Albert Seine GmbH itself, but also all those who use the batteries from the Dülmen-based company, to fully demonstrate compliance with the requirements of the EU regulation. Each battery contains an NFC chip that can be scanned. All technical data, operating instructions, and contact information for the responsible experts at Albert Seine GmbH can already be accessed. In the future, the same system will also provide access to all necessary information regarding raw material supply chains, CO2emissions, collection points, and recycling options. Videos on battery care and a direct service link will also be available. "We have been equipping all our battery systems with this technology since mid-2024," explains Saredin Seine, "three years earlier than required."

The NRW effect

Albert Seine GmbH is grateful for the excellent opportunities for collaboration offered by North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW). Further cooperation is currently underway with a partner company and the Fraunhofer Institute for Battery Cell Research Production (FFB), both located in Münster. "Münster is particularly exciting for us," says Saredin Seine, "we benefit greatly from the expertise of the universities there." Moreover, the universities provide the company with a valuable pool of skilled workers. The company utilizes this resource by offering student internships. Furthermore, he values ​​NRW as a business location overall. "It's one of the strongest economic regions in Europe," the entrepreneur argues, "and a strong culture of mutual support has developed here. That's a real unique selling point of our location."

This success story of an innovative transformation was published in December 2024. No updates or reviews of the information have taken place since then.

More on the topic of the environment

Transformation through innovation

Background of the publication series

The publication series “Transformation through Innovation” aims to illustrate how companies in North Rhine-Westphalia have been able to write successful innovation stories thanks to the framework conditions created by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Are you interested in being featured in a future edition?
Then please contact us with your request at:

info@nrwinnovativ.de