Battery passport electronics for Germany need traceable component lots, because the EU passport requirement starts on 18 February 2027 for electric vehicle, light-transport and industrial batteries above 2 kWh. We counted our Hong Kong shelf snapshot: 419 of 683 dated part numbers carry one identical timestamp, 2025-12-01 00:00:00, where a date code belongs.
Venatech Limited, an authorised Walsin distributor in Hong Kong, wrote this for a German battery-pack, BMS or storage-system buyer who must prove where each board component came from. The regulatory statement is sourced to the European Commission and dated; the counts come from our own ready-stock snapshot as at 23 September 2026 (1125 part numbers) and the Walsin Technology (Walsin) MLCC export, file 00_ALL_MLCC_parts_combined.xlsx (24,026 rows, 23,601 distinct part numbers). Every part number below is real.
What does the European Commission say about the battery passport start date?
On a European Commission page dated 21 August 2026, the passport applies from 18 February 2027 to each electric vehicle battery, each light-means-of-transport battery and each industrial battery with a capacity above 2 kWh that is placed on the market or put into service.
The same page announces a guidance document that sets out 71 data points by battery category and marks each as mandatory, optional or conditional. The Commission states that the document adds no legal requirement and is not an authoritative interpretation of the law. We read the page, not the 71 data points one by one, and we give no legal advice: confirm scope and data points with your compliance team.
Does the battery passport require a date code on every BMS capacitor?
No source we fetched says so, and we do not claim it. The passport is the battery maker’s obligation and sits at battery level. Our reasoning, not the Commission’s, is narrower: a German pack maker that answers a field return, a customer audit or a supplier change needs to say which component lot went onto which board.
That is a board-level traceability habit, and it starts at goods-in. If the date code on an incoming reel cannot be read from the supplier’s own list, the habit has nothing to hold on to. This is why we measured our own list first, before writing a word about anyone else’s.
How many date codes in the Venatech ready-stock snapshot can be read?
We parsed all 1125 part numbers in the ready-stock workbook as at 23 September 2026. 683 carry a date code; 264 of those are readable text, and 419 contain the single timestamp 2025-12-01 00:00:00, 397 of them alone in the field.
That timestamp looks like a spreadsheet date conversion of a short code; we cannot tell which code it replaced, and we say so rather than guess. The text codes that survived come in 12 different shapes when the digits are masked, for example year-plus (26+), year-plus-month (26+9月) and year-plus-week (23+12周). A further 89 rows list several codes in one cell, meaning several lots under one part number.
The 442 rows that Venatech holds on its own carry no date code at all (0 of 442). We have not seen a distributor list audited this way anywhere else, and the finding is ours to fix, not yours to work around: ask for the lot and date code per shipment, not from the list.
Which Walsin MLCC on the shelf show a readable date code, and which do not?
Of six 0201 X7R parts we sampled from the snapshot, three show readable text codes and three show the identical timestamp.
The table lists them with the Walsin export fields alongside, so you can see the electrical data is complete while the lot field is not. Put your incumbent part in the last column and confirm against both datasheets (the Walsin datasheet for each series is supplied on request).
| Walsin part | Export fields | Venatech-only row? | Date code as stored | Match / mismatch with a lot-traceable BMS line | Your incumbent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
0201B181K500 |
0201, X7R, 180pF, 50Vdc | No | 21+5月 |
Match: readable year-plus-period text (month or week), usable as an incoming-lot reference | |
0201B331K160 |
0201, X7R, 330pF, 16Vdc | No | 22+10 |
Match: readable year-plus-period text (month or week), usable as an incoming-lot reference | |
0201B682K100 |
0201, X7R, 6800pF, 10Vdc | No | 20+12周 |
Match: readable year-plus-period text (month or week), usable as an incoming-lot reference | |
0201B101K160 |
0201, X7R, 100pF, 16Vdc | No | 2025-12-01 00:00:00 |
Mismatch: stored as the timestamp 2025-12-01 00:00:00, the same value as 396 other rows, so the lot month cannot be read | |
0201B272K250 |
0201, X7R, 2700pF, 25Vdc | No | 2025-12-01 00:00:00 |
Mismatch: stored as the timestamp 2025-12-01 00:00:00, the same value as 396 other rows, so the lot month cannot be read | |
0201B391K500 |
0201, X7R, 390pF, 50Vdc | No | 2025-12-01 00:00:00 |
Mismatch: stored as the timestamp 2025-12-01 00:00:00, the same value as 396 other rows, so the lot month cannot be read |
A match in this table is a match on the date-code field only. It says nothing about suitability for a BMS, and qualification stays with you. Our post on how to cross-reference an MLCC shows the field-by-field method, and the MLCC range lists the families.
What should a German BMS buyer ask for on every incoming Walsin lot?
Ask for four things per shipment: the lot and date code on the reel label, a certificate of conformity on request, the original sealed Walsin packaging, and a dated stock statement rather than a live promise.
Venatech offers lot and date-code traceability and a certificate of conformity per shipment on request. We do not guarantee a quantity: the ready-stock list is a snapshot dated 23 September 2026, never live-synced. Read the date code off the shipment, not off the list, and file it against the board build record before the passport clock starts.
What will we not tell you about the EU battery passport?
We will not tell you which data points apply to your pack, whether a component record is needed, or how to fill the passport. We read one Commission page dated 21 August 2026 and the figure of 71 data points is that page’s, not ours.
We hold no ISO 9001 or IATF 16949 certificate and claim no office, entity or stock in Germany; our locations are Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Singapore and Jiangmen, with Chengdu in preparation. We give no legal, customs or conformity advice. Confirm with your compliance team.
How can Venatech help a German battery-pack buyer?
How Venatech helps starts with a free paste box. Our VenaMatch tool at /cross-reference/ decodes 18 manufacturers’ part numbers, covers 800,000+ crossable parts, accepts up to 500 part numbers or an Excel or CSV file, and marks every field match or mismatch. Load a whole board list at /bom/ and read the ready stock snapshot dated 23 September 2026.
Worked example from our own list: of 1125 shelf part numbers, 683 are dated and 419 of those share one timestamp; we would send the date code per shipment, not rely on the list. Walsin is the only line we are authorised for; Stackpole and Viking are lines we supply. We work from Hong Kong, welcome small lots, and you request a quote through the site. We give no legal, customs or conformity advice; confirm with your compliance team, and qualification stays with you.
The short version
The EU passport starts on 18 February 2027 for the battery categories the Commission names; it is battery-level, and component lot history is your own discipline. In our Hong Kong shelf snapshot, 683 of 1125 part numbers carry a date code and 419 of those hold one timestamp, so read the code off the reel.
Send us one BMS capacitor or resistor line from your board list and we will return the Walsin parts, each difference stated. When your auditor asks for the lot behind a failed board, can your goods-in record answer?
Sources (fetched 10 November 2026)
- European Commission, Guidance to support preparations for the Digital Batteries Passport, 21 August 2026: https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/news/guidance-support-preparations-digital-batteries-passport-2026-08-21_en
- Venatech ready-stock workbook (.xlsx) as at 23 September 2026 and Walsin MLCC export 00_ALL_MLCC_parts_combined.xlsx, both re-measured 10 November 2026 (internal files).
Related reading
- How to cross-reference an MLCC, field by field
- MLCC DC bias and voltage derating
- Walsin passive components held in Hong Kong
- Free cross-reference tool (VenaMatch)
- Ready stock, Hong Kong snapshot dated 23 September 2026
Last reviewed 10 Nov 2026.
Frequently asked questions
When does the EU battery passport start?
The European Commission page dated 21 August 2026 says from 18 February 2027, for electric vehicle, light-means-of-transport and industrial batteries above 2 kWh. Confirm scope with your compliance team.
Does the battery passport require capacitor date codes?
We found no source saying so and do not claim it. The passport is battery-level. Component lot history is a board-record habit that helps with audits and field returns. Confirm with your compliance team.
How many Venatech shelf part numbers carry a date code?
683 of 1125 part numbers in the snapshot dated 23 September 2026. 419 of those contain one identical timestamp, 2025-12-01 00:00:00, so the original code cannot be read from the list.
Does Venatech have an office or stock in Germany?
No. Our locations are Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Singapore and Jiangmen, with Chengdu in preparation. We serve German buyers from Hong Kong, in small lots, with a quote requested through the site.
Can Venatech guarantee stock for a battery build?
No. The ready-stock list is a snapshot dated 23 September 2026 and is never live-synced. We state no price, lead time or quantity guarantee; request a quote through the site.
Is Venatech authorised for every brand it lists?
No. Venatech is authorised for Walsin only. Stackpole and Viking are lines we supply. Qualification and compliance stay with the buyer.