QR codes & identifiers
Understand the difference between a data carrier, a unique identifier, and the record it resolves to.
Start with a stable connection
Separate the printed data carrier from the identifier and the online record. Each has different operational questions, from physical readability to long-term availability.
Useful starting points
- Document what the code represents.
- Test the route from scan to the correct record.
- Plan domain and identifier continuity.
Guides in this topic
Access rights and roles: who may see what in a battery passport, and why
Access rights follow purpose and role, not seniority or ownership alone, and every grant needs a purpose, a scope and a review date.
Authorised access tier: detailed composition, dismantling and unit history for legitimate interest
The authorised tier adds detailed model information and individual battery history for readers with a legitimate interest, under authentication and access control.
Battery passport QR codes: the connection explained
How the battery passport QR code connects a physical battery to its unique identifier and controlled digital record.
Carrier vs record distinction: the code is not the passport
The data carrier is a pointer to a record, and confusing the pointer with the record leads to errors about content, currency and access.
Data carrier options beyond QR: data matrix, NFC and other carriers for a battery identifier
QR is the expected carrier for a battery passport, but other carriers can carry the same identifier where the Regulation and the reading context allow.
Identifier persistence across lifecycle: keeping one battery traceable from placing to treatment
The unique identifier stays with the battery through use, repair, repurposing and treatment, with any new identifier linked to the old one.
Public access tier: what anyone who scans a battery should be able to see
The public tier is a complete model summary for any reader, with no login, no payment and no restriction beyond the tier boundary.
QR code failure and fallback: what to do when a battery code will not scan
A failed scan has a fallback route through manual identifier entry and documentation, and the fallback must reach the same record as the scan.
QR code placement and durability: where the code sits and how it survives use
QR code placement must survive the life of the battery, stay readable, and stay with the battery it identifies through handling, heat and repair.
Scanning journey step by step: from a code on a battery to the right view of the right record
A scan is a sequence of steps, code, resolution, authentication, tier and display, and a failure at any step produces a different kind of error.
Testing a QR scan end to end: a test plan from printing to display
End to end testing covers printing, payload, resolution, access and display, with a separate pass and fail result for each step.
Unique identifier rules: one battery, one identifier, never reused
A unique identifier is assigned once, never reused, and persists for the life of the battery record so that history stays linked.
What the QR code does not contain: limits of the symbol on the battery
A QR code contains a pointer, not the passport, and it contains no measurements, no history, no restricted detail and no proof of compliance.