(2) If a battery is removed from a vehicle that is still in service, while the battery is still under warranty, the vehicle manufacturer is solely responsible for ensuring responsible end-of-life management of the battery pursuant to state and federal law.
(b) The vehicle or battery manufacturer is responsible for collecting a stranded battery, if that battery can be traced to the manufacturer, and for repurposing the battery, if possible, but shall ensure the battery is recycled if it cannot be reused.
(c) By January 1, 2025, a battery supplier that sells or distributes vehicle traction batteries in or into California is responsible for the following:
(1) (A) The development of a core exchange program for replacing a battery, module,
or cell removed from a vehicle. This program shall include proper tracking and recordkeeping for any battery, module, or cell removed from a vehicle and for a replacement battery, module, or cell. The tracking system shall include a unique identifier for each battery. The unique identifier shall be consistent with any applicable regulations adopted by the State Air Resources Board on or after January 1, 2023, that govern labeling requirements for batteries.
(B) The program shall include two options: a refundable core exchange deposit, or, in lieu of a refundable core exchange deposit, an option for a battery supplier and buyer to enter into a contractual agreement to ensure the removed battery is returned or sent to a qualified facility.
(C) The program shall require a battery supplier to collect from a buyer a minimum deposit set to ensure batteries are returned. A deposit may be
waived if the battery supplier has documentation that the buyer has shipped the removed battery to the supplier or to a qualified facility prior to the replacement battery being shipped.
(D) A battery supplier that collects a deposit that is not refunded to the buyer shall hold the funds in escrow to be used to fund the collection and recycling of orphaned or stranded batteries.
(E) In lieu of a core exchange deposit, a battery supplier may enter into a contractual agreement with a buyer to ensure removed batteries are returned or sent to a qualified facility. If a battery is not either returned or sent to a qualified facility within the timeframe established in the contract, the supplier shall charge, and the buyer shall pay, the minimum deposit set by the supplier. If the removed battery is still not returned, the supplier shall hold the deposit in escrow to be used to fund the
collection and recycling of orphaned or stranded batteries.
(2) Annually submitting a report to the department containing the date of sale of the battery, the name of the entity to which a replacement battery was sold, and the battery’s unique identifier and state of health. The report shall also include the date the battery removed by the buyer was received by the supplier or a qualified facility and the removed battery’s unique identifier and state of health. For batteries collected by the supplier, the report shall indicate when the battery was sent to a qualified facility and the qualified facility to which it was sent.
(d) A qualified facility buying removed batteries shall submit a report to the department detailing the date the battery was purchased, including the battery’s unique identifier, as described in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (c), and indicate
if the battery was reused, repurposed, or recycled.
(e) A dealer, automobile dismantler, automotive repair dealer, nonvehicle secondary user, or recycler that removes a battery from a vehicle that is still in service shall participate in the core exchange program established by the battery supplier and shall be responsible for either returning a removed battery to the battery supplier or sending it to a qualified facility.
(f) A secondary user that purchases a battery that was removed from a vehicle is responsible for ensuring the battery is sent to a qualified facility at the end of the battery’s useful life and shall report to the department the date on which the battery was sent and the qualified facility to which the battery was sent.