Volvo will soon release a supply chain tracker, giving customers a look at where raw materials for batteries used in electric vehicles are being sourced from. 

According to The Wall Street Journal, the new "battery passport" — designed by tech company Circulor — will provide details on materials used for EV batteries, where those materials came from, the chain of custody for various components, and the carbon footprint of the batteries themselves. The tracker will be released sometime in 2024, with the option to either access it through an app or a QR code on the inside of a vehicle's driver-side door. 

This is part of a larger push to improve supply chain transparency for consumers, and to highlight the environmental impact of the manufacturing process. 

“The purpose of the battery passport is to source more responsibly, and prove you are trying to improve the sustainability of batteries,” said Circulor chief executive Doug Johnson-Poensgen. “The main driver is to effectively shine a light into the deeper parts of a supply chain that were previously pretty opaque.”

Starting in 2027, the European Union will mandate battery passports for all EVs. Volvo's will be the first to hit the open market ahead of that deadline.