On February 4th, 2026, industry leaders, policymakers, battery manufacturers, technology providers, and sustainability experts gathered in Lille, France, for the EU Battery Passport Conference 2026, Europe’s first dedicated forum focused exclusively on preparing industry stakeholders for the upcoming Digital Battery Passport (DBP) requirements under the EU Battery Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2023/1542).
With the February 2027 compliance deadline approaching, discussions moved decisively beyond theory. The conference addressed a pressing question for the entire battery value chain:
"How can Digital Battery Passports move from regulatory requirement to scalable, real-world implementation?"
Dr Fahim Chowdhury, CEO of Technovative Solutions Ltd. (TVS), represented TVS and the BASE project at the event, joining a panel discussion titled “The Future of Battery Transparency: How Digital Product Passports Will Reshape the Entire Value Chain”, where he shared both strategic and implementation insights.
Dr Chowdhury was joined by Ingrid Flatebø Holsen, Project Lead for Battery Passport at Corvus Energy, and Farhadur Arifin, Senior Control Engineer at Technovative Solutions Ltd., and Technical Manager of the BASE Project, for a cross-industry dialogue that explored both strategic direction and practical implementation challenges surrounding Digital Battery Passports. The session was moderated by Salauddin Sohag, Managing Director of DigiProd Pass Ltd.
Following the event, we spoke with Dr Fahim Chowdhury to gain deeper insight into the discussions and the future of battery transparency.
Interview with Dr Fahim Chowdhury
Q1. As a panellist at the EU Battery Passport Conference 2026, how would you reflect on the key industry takeaways from the discussion on “The Future of Battery Transparency,” particularly regarding the implementation of Digital Battery Passports across complex battery value chains?
Dr Chowdhury: From my perspective, three key points stood out.
First, interoperability is absolutely critical. The battery ecosystem spans continents, technologies, and regulatory frameworks. If we do not align standards and systems early on, there is a real risk of fragmentation, which would slow adoption and increase costs across the value chain.
Second, trust and data governance are just as important as the technology itself. Companies understandably have concerns about sharing sensitive information. Building secure, fair, and transparent models for data sharing will be essential to enable collaboration and ensure that Digital Battery Passports deliver real value.
Third, time is moving quickly. The regulation is no longer theoretical; organisations are recognising that they need to move beyond discussion and start structured implementation planning. The window for proactive preparation is now, and those who act early will gain a strategic advantage.
Q2. As a BASE consortium partner, how is Technovative Solutions contributing to advancing battery transparency and digital traceability within the project?
Dr Chowdhury: Within the BASE consortium, Technovative Solutions focuses on practical implementation. It is one thing to design a concept; it is another to make it work across multiple tiers of suppliers with varying levels of digital maturity. That’s where we come in to bridge the gap between regulatory requirements, technical feasibility, and commercial reality.
We want to ensure that transparency is not just aspirational but operational. Our work involves building scalable digital traceability architectures that actually integrate with industrial systems. This means ensuring that data flows, system interoperability, and governance structures are robust enough to support real-world deployment of Digital Battery Passports.
Q3. What practical challenges do companies face as they move toward implementing Digital Battery Passports in real-world industrial environments?
Dr Chowdhury: What I heard repeatedly at the conference is that companies are not resistant; they are uncertain.
Technically, many organisations rely on legacy systems that were never designed for this level of traceability. Integrating new digital layers into existing infrastructure is complex and requires careful planning.
From a regulatory standpoint, interpretation remains challenging. Businesses want clarity on how to translate legal language into structured data fields, reporting frameworks, and operational workflows.
Operationally, the biggest challenge is coordination. Battery value chains involve multiple suppliers across multiple jurisdictions. Aligning everyone, especially around sensitive data and shared KPIs, is complicated. This is why having a structured roadmap is so important. It provides clarity on dependencies, responsibilities, and the sequencing of implementation steps.
Q4. How did the audience respond during the panel, and what questions or discussions stood out during networking sessions?
Dr Chowdhury: The audience engagement was significant and very practical during the panel and the overall event. There was genuine openness to collaboration, which is encouraging. The questions were not abstract but operational. People asked about cost, data security, competitive risks, and implementation timelines. In networking discussions, I had the opportunity to interact with battery manufacturers, OEMs, consultants, and policy stakeholders. A common curiosity was around: “We know this is coming, but we need guidance on how to approach it strategically.”
It was clear that stakeholders are ready to move from awareness to structured planning, and they are seeking partners and assistance to bridge the gap between regulation and practical deployment.
Q5. How can Digital Battery Passports enhance safety, lifecycle management, compliance, and circularity, particularly in high-performance sectors such as automotive and large-scale energy storage?
Dr Chowdhury: Digital Battery Passports can create real value throughout the battery lifecycle when properly implemented.
From a safety standpoint, structured and accessible data about battery chemistry, configuration, performance history, and handling requirements significantly improves responsible transportation, storage, maintenance, and incident response.
In terms of lifecycle management, better traceability can help with more accurate second-life assessments, predictive maintenance planning, and performance optimisation. Instead of relying on assumptions, operators can make decisions on verified historical data, improving asset utilisation and extending battery value.
From a compliance perspective, Digital Battery Passports reduce administrative burden through structured and automated reporting. Instead of fragmented documentation processes, organisations can integrate regulatory reporting into digital workflows, improving both accuracy and efficiency.
Finally, regarding circularity, material-level traceability enhances recycling efficiency and economic viability. Knowing the origin, composition, and material history of battery components allows recyclers to recover valuable materials more effectively and safely. In this sense, transparency directly supports the development of a functioning circular battery economy.
In high-performance sectors like automotive and large-scale energy storage, where safety margins are narrow and system complexity is high, real-time and verified data becomes a strategic asset.
Q6. Based on the discussions at the conference, what should battery manufacturers, system integrators, and operators prioritise in the next 12–18 months to stay ahead of regulatory and technological developments?
Dr Chowdhury: Over the next 12–18 months, organisations should focus on preparation rather than perfection. The first step is to understand where they stand in terms of regulatory readiness and to map how data currently flows across their value chain. From there, launching pilot implementations can help test systems and identify gaps early.
It’s equally important to engage suppliers from the outset and put internal governance structures in place to manage data and compliance effectively. The regulatory timeline is fixed, so waiting for complete regulatory clarity is risky. Strategic preparations should begin now to avoid disruptions in the long run.
Q7. Looking ahead, what strategic role do you envision for Technovative Solutions in advancing digital traceability, regulatory compliance, and sustainable innovation within the European and global battery ecosystem?
Dr Chowdhury: Looking ahead, I see Technovative Solutions playing a supportive and enabling role in the battery industry. We help organisations move from ambiguity to structured action, building compliant digital infrastructures, supporting interoperability, and ensuring regulatory alignment, not just in Europe, but globally.
Our ambition is to ensure that compliance becomes a driver of innovation and not a constraint, so we can create a more transparent, circular, and sustainable battery value chain that is both technically robust and commercially viable.
Q8. What key message would you like to share with industry stakeholders about the future of battery transparency?
Dr Chowdhury: My message to the industry stakeholders is simple: transparency is not a burden but an opportunity. Digital Battery Passports represent a structured shift in how we think about accountability and value creation. Organisations that approach this strategically rather than reactively will not just meet regulatory requirements but will also strengthen their competitive position in a rapidly evolving market.
Technovative Solutions’ Role in The BASE Project
Technovative Solutions Ltd (TVS) is an innovation-driven technology company working at the intersection of digital transformation, sustainability, and regulatory compliance. The company develops scalable digital architectures that enable traceability, interoperability, and data governance across complex industrial ecosystems.
Within the battery industry, TVS plays a critical role in advancing:
- Digital traceability infrastructures
- Regulatory-aligned data frameworks
- Interoperable system architectures
- Transparent and secure information exchange
- Circular value chain enablement
As a consortium partner in the BASE project, TVS contributes to the development and implementation of practical Digital Battery Passport solutions designed to align with EU regulatory requirements while remaining technically and commercially viable.
About Dr Fahim Chowdhury
Dr Fahim Chowdhury is the CEO of Technovative Solutions Ltd (TVS), where he leads the design and deployment of digital traceability architectures, interoperability frameworks, and regulatory-aligned data infrastructures for complex industrial ecosystems. His work focuses on translating policy-driven requirements, including the EU Battery Regulation, into technically robust, scalable digital systems that integrate with existing enterprise and manufacturing environments.
Within the BASE project consortium, Dr Chowdhury contributes to the development and implementation of Digital Battery Passport frameworks, with a particular emphasis on system architecture design, cross-value-chain data integration, and secure data governance models. He works closely with industrial partners to ensure that transparency solutions are not only compliant with regulatory standards but also commercially viable and technically interoperable across multiple stakeholders and jurisdictions.
His expertise spans industrial digitalisation, systems engineering, compliance-by-design methodologies, and lifecycle data management, supporting the transition toward transparent, circular, and data-driven battery value chains across Europe and beyond.
