The requirement to replace individual cells has been part of the EU Battery Regulation since 2023 and will take effect on February 18, 2027. Anyone with a defective cell in their battery would then no longer have to replace the entire battery. However, it is not the owners who are expected to replace the cells, but independent specialists. 

The Commission intends to require the replacement of entire modules rather than individual cells. A module is a block consisting of several interconnected cells. Therefore, replacing such a module also means replacing the intact cells within it. If a battery consists of only one module, the only option is to replace all cells at once. The Commission explained its proposal in December 2025, stating that replacing individual cells could lead to unexpected safety risks if defective cells were not replaced under the proper conditions. It aims to strike a balance between safety and reparability. The member states endorsed the proposal in June 2026.

A new cell must be compatible with the old ones

According to the report by the European Commission’s research unit, a replacement cell is considered compatible only if it does not compromise the battery’s safety and matches the other cells in terms of capacity, state of aging, design, and chemical composition. According to this definition, a brand-new cell does not automatically match aged ones. MEP Anna Zalewska makes this clear in an amendment: Anyone who opens a sealed battery compromises the built-in safety systems and increases the risk of malfunctions and fires.

The Commission and member states are leaving two other rules unchanged. A replacement battery must remain available for at least five years after the last unit of an e-bike model was placed on the EU market, and at a “reasonable and non-discriminatory price” for both repair shops and end customers. Furthermore, software must not make it difficult to replace the battery with another compatible one. Both provisions will take effect on February 18, 2027.

In the European Parliament, the rapporteur responsible goes even further: She wants to require the replacement of cell packs only for batteries with a capacity of 800 watt-hours or more. For smaller batteries, only the entire battery would need to be replaceable. The Environment Committee has not yet voted; the plenary session is scheduled to decide on December 14. After that, the Parliament and member states must reach an agreement. The regulation does not apply to Switzerland because the country is not part of the EU and has not adopted it. It may still affect Swiss buyers, however: if a manufacturer designs its batteries identically for both markets, they will also comply with EU rules here.

If the amendment has not yet taken effect by February 18, e-bike manufacturers will have to design their batteries so that repair shops can replace individual cells, even though the Commission and member states want to eliminate that very option.