As set out in the EPO’s recently-released Technology Dashboard 2025 (its annual summary of key figures and trends in patent activity), growth in the field of battery technologies continues unabated, with the number of patent filings increasing by 340% in the last decade.
This reflects surging global battery demand and production.
The battery circularity boom
In line with this, attention has turned to battery circularity technologies to enable reuse and recycling of batteries, with multiple jurisdictions including the EU, China, India, and individual US states, passing legislation in the past few years to address issues around battery waste management. As explained in the 2025 Annual Battery Report from the Volta Foundation, these new regulations establish standards and targets for metrics such as material recovery rates from used batteries, as well as minimum recycled content requirements for new batteries.
