New rules for vehicles, batteries and software
Type approval, emission limits, battery duties and rules for connected vehicles come from Brussels, Berlin, Washington and Beijing. COBACK reads the new publications every day and shows you which of them could affect your models, plants and group companies, and why.
Topics and rules
What is changing, who in the company works with it and which legal acts are behind it.
Type approval and vehicle safety
A vehicle type needs type approval before it may be sold in the EU. The requirements for driver assistance and safety systems are tightened in stages. Since July 2024 every newly registered car and commercial vehicle in the EU has had to meet UN Regulation No 155 on cyber security and No 156 on software updates. Homologation, engineering and quality are affected, and at suppliers the customer programmes as well.
Examples
- Type-Approval Framework Regulation (EU) 2018/858
- General Safety Regulation (EU) 2019/2144
- UN Regulations No 155 and No 156
- German EC Vehicle Approval Ordinance (EG-FGV)
Emission standards and CO2 fleet targets
Euro 7 applies to new types of cars and vans from 29 November 2026 and to all newly registered vehicles in these classes from 29 November 2027. For the first time it also limits particles from brakes and sets minimum durability for traction batteries. On CO2 fleet targets, the Commission proposed in December 2025 to lower the 2035 target from a 100 to a 90 percent cut in tailpipe emissions. The proposal has not been adopted yet. Powertrain engineering, homologation and product planning are affected.
Examples
- Euro 7 Regulation (EU) 2024/1257
- CO2 emission standards for cars and vans, Regulation (EU) 2019/631
- CO2 emission standards for heavy-duty vehicles, Regulation (EU) 2019/1242
Batteries
The Batteries Regulation covers electric vehicle batteries across their whole life cycle, including labelling, minimum recycled content and take-back. From 18 February 2027 every electric vehicle battery placed on the market needs a digital battery passport. The due diligence duties for cobalt, lithium, nickel and natural graphite were postponed to 18 August 2027. Battery engineering, procurement and sustainability are affected.
Examples
- Batteries Regulation (EU) 2023/1542
- Amending Regulation (EU) 2025/1561 on battery due diligence
- German Battery Law Implementation Act (BattDG)
Circularity and end-of-life vehicles
The new End-of-Life Vehicles Regulation entered into force on 13 August 2026 and applies from 1 September 2028. It then replaces the End-of-Life Vehicles Directive and Directive 2005/64/EC on reusability, recyclability and recoverability. It requires designs that can be dismantled, and in vehicle types approved from 1 September 2032 at least 15 percent of the plastic has to be recycled material. Design, procurement and the organisation of producer responsibility are affected.
Examples
- End-of-Life Vehicles Regulation (EU) 2026/1738
- End-of-Life Vehicles Directive 2000/53/EC
- German End-of-Life Vehicle Ordinance (AltfahrzeugV)
Software, data and connected vehicles
Connected products such as vehicles placed on the EU market from 12 September 2026 must be designed so that users can access the product data. In the US, from model year 2027 connected vehicles may no longer be imported or sold if their connectivity or automated driving software comes from companies owned or controlled by China or Russia or subject to their jurisdiction. From model year 2030 an import ban applies to connectivity hardware from such sources. Electronics engineering, IT security, data protection and procurement are affected.
Examples
- Data Act (EU) 2023/2854
- US connected vehicles rule, 15 CFR part 791 subpart D
Supply chains, trade and forced labour
Since 30 October 2024 the EU has levied countervailing duties on battery electric cars from China. Companies with their seat or a branch in Germany and usually at least 1,000 employees there have due diligence duties under the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act. From 14 December 2027 products made with forced labour may no longer be placed on the EU market or exported from the EU. Procurement, customs, sales and sustainability are affected.
Examples
- German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG)
- Forced Labour Regulation (EU) 2024/3015
- Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2754 on countervailing duties on battery electric vehicles from China
The path of a change
Example: a new act on the battery passport
01Law database
A Commission act under the Batteries Regulation with new requirements for the battery passport appears in the Official Journal of the EU. COBACK reads it together with the day's other publications.
02Relevance
The check against the digital twin gives a relevance score of 87. The reasoning names your battery plant, your electric models for the EU market and the passage of the act it relies on.
03Open questions
What is open is whether your company builds all its battery packs in its own plant or buys some in as complete units, because that decides who has to provide the battery passport. COBACK asks that question, and the head of product compliance answers it and marks the act as relevant.
04Task
This creates tasks with steps, owners and deadlines: battery engineering adds the missing data fields in the product data system by 15 January 2027. Procurement collects the information from the cell suppliers before 18 February 2027.
Working with COBACK
New rules from many jurisdictions
Every day COBACK reads official journals, authorities, parliaments and specialist media, for example EUR-Lex, ECHA and the German Federal Law Gazette, along with sources from the Americas and Asia. Everything new ends up in one place.
An assessment with its reasoning
Each publication gets a relevance score from 0 to 100 with its reasoning, the sources and the facts about your models, plants and group companies it relies on. Where a fact is missing, such as whether you act as manufacturer or importer, COBACK asks.
Tasks for the department in charge
Once a person on your side marks a change as relevant, it becomes tasks with steps, owners and deadlines, for homologation, procurement or battery engineering, for example.
Optional module for substances in parts
If you maintain bills of materials, you can add the product compliance module. It checks them against substance lists such as the REACH Candidate List, Annex XVII to REACH and PFAS lists, shows data gaps and produces reports.
Frequently asked questions
Which jurisdictions does COBACK watch for automotive companies?
COBACK reads new publications from the EU and European countries, the Americas and Asia, and from international bodies, for example EUR-Lex, the German Federal Law Gazette and the US Federal Register.
Does COBACK tell us whether a rule applies to our vehicles?
COBACK assesses the relevance and explains it with sources and facts from your twin. The decision is always made by a person in your company. COBACK does not give legal advice.
How does COBACK know our models, plants and group companies?
From the digital twin. It is filled from connected systems such as SharePoint, Google Drive or Confluence, from public registers such as GLEIF, from your website and from a questionnaire. Nobody uploads files by hand.
Do we need the product compliance module as a supplier?
No, it is optional. It fits if you maintain bills of materials and want to check them against substance lists. Where information is missing, it shows the gap.
