Days after officially agreeing upon new regulations that require smartphone makers to design their devices to let users easily replace the batteries on them, a new rule in the European Union (EU) is in place that would require handheld consoles to have easily replaceable batteries. According to a report by Eurogamer, new handheld gaming consoles would require to be fitted with replaceable batteries from 2027. This means next-gen models of the Nintendo Switch Steam Deck would need to be launched with replaceable batteries by 2027.
A press release by the Council of the European Union read: “The Council today adopted a new regulation that strengthens sustainability rules for batteries and waste batteries. The regulation will regulate the entire life cycle of batteries – from production to reuse and recycling – and ensure that they are safe, sustainable and competitive.”
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The regulation of the European Parliament and the Council will apply to all batteries including all waste portable batteries, electric vehicle batteries, industrial batteries, starting, lightning and ignition (SLI) batteries (used mostly for vehicles and machinery) and batteries for light means of transport (e.g. electric bikes, e-mopeds, e-scooters).
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“Batteries are key to the decarbonisation process and the EU’s shift towards zero-emission modes of transport. At the same time end-of-life batteries contain many valuable resources and we must be able to reuse those critical raw materials instead of relying on third countries for supplies. The new rules will promote the competitiveness of European industry and ensure new batteries are sustainable and contribute to the green transition,” Teresa Ribera, Spanish minister for the ecological transition, said in a statement.
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