A bill to make battery replacement of smartphones as easy as Garake passed in the EU, expected to extend the usable period of smartphones

In order to replace the battery of the smartphone that is on the market at the time of writing the article, it is necessary to request a specialized shop and prepare a special tool. A new bill on batteries has been passed by the European Parliament, and in the future the possibility has emerged that each manufacturer will be obliged to design 'to make smartphone batteries replaceable by users themselves'.

Making batteries more sustainable, more durable and better-performing | News | European Parliament
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20230609IPR96210/

European Union votes to bring back replaceable phone batteries | TechSpot
https://www.techspot.com/news/99102-european-union-votes-bring-back-replaceable-phone-batteries.html

With the so-called Garake, it was possible to replace the battery simply by opening the lid on the back, so users who tend to forget to charge or heavy users who have a lot of communication say, 'I carry a replacement battery and replace it when the battery runs out.' We were able to minimize the impact of running out of battery in the operation method. In addition, many smartphones in the early days of their appearance adopted a design that 'the back opens up', which made it easy to replace the battery.

However, the number of 'smartphones with a pop-up back' has gradually decreased, and the number of models that are difficult to replace the battery has increased. Most of the smartphones sold at the time of writing the article cannot replace the battery without a special tool, making it impossible to ``replace the battery when the battery runs out'', and when the battery deteriorates. It is also difficult to replace.

Meanwhile, on June 14, 2023, the European Parliament passed a bill on the sustainable use of batteries with a majority vote. One of the main measures expected by the enactment of the bill is to make it possible for users to easily remove and replace the batteries of portable home appliances. Shipping manufacturers may be obligated to facilitate battery replacement in the future.

In addition to making the batteries of home appliances replaceable, the EU points out the possibility of the following measures.

・Indication of carbon dioxide emissions labels on batteries with a capacity exceeding 2 kWh, such as batteries for electric vehicles and LMT batteries used for electric vehicles.
・Introduction of a 'battery passport' that stipulates battery materials and assembly processes for industrial batteries with a capacity exceeding 2 kWh.
• Setting strict battery waste collection targets. Specifically, for batteries for portable devices, 45% by 2023, 63% by 2027, and 73% by 2030. 51% by 2028 and 61% by 2031 for LMT batteries.
・Increase the amount of resources collected from discarded batteries. Specifically, lithium will be 50% by 2027 and 80% by 2031. Cobalt, copper, lead and nickel should be 90% by 2027 and 95% by 2031.
・Increased recycled resources used in battery production. Specifically, 16% cobalt, 85% lead, 6% lithium, and 6% nickel within eight years of entry into force. 26% cobalt, 85% lead, 12% lithium, and 15% nickel within 13 years after entry into force.

While there are voices welcoming the passage of the EU battery bill, Hacker News, a news sharing site, said, ``The big problem is not the battery but the software.Many manufacturers have made smartphone hardware unusable. In addition, manufacturers are making it difficult to unlock the bootloader of smartphones (preventing the installation of arbitrary OS), ``The battery is the only reason for the short lifespan of smartphones. It is also in the attitude of providing software,' an opinion has been posted .

In addition, on Hacker News, referring to an article that the ultra-compact PC ' hp Jornada 728 ' that appeared in the 2000s will continue to be used even as of 2023, 'In order to demonstrate the performance of a small and high-performance device such as a smartphone, A system that allows software to be installed freely is needed.”