IN Brief:
- Updated EV battery transport guidance aligns with 2026 IATA DGR and IMDG changes.
- Focus on repeatable compliance steps across air and ocean movements.
- Shippers face tighter expectations on state of charge, UN numbers, and placarding.
Logistics Plus has partnered with the International Electric Marine Association (IEMA) on an updated Electric Vehicle Battery Transport Guidance document, aligning the material with the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations (DGR) 67th edition for 2026 and changes now in force under the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code.
The update lands as battery movements broaden beyond finished vehicles. Supply chains are moving cells, modules, packs, and battery-powered equipment as production footprints diversify, service networks mature, and returns and warranty flows scale. The compliance load is similar whether a shipment is destined for an OEM plant, a refurbishment facility, or a port-side consolidation point: the consignment still has to be classified correctly, packed correctly, declared correctly, and handed over through multiple parties without the paperwork drifting away from what is actually in the box.
On the air side, the 2026 cycle tightens operational expectations around state of charge. Lithium-ion batteries shipped by themselves have long faced state-of-charge limits, and from 1 January 2026 the requirement extends into additional scenarios, including batteries packed with equipment. For shippers, that pushes process discipline upstream, because state-of-charge is not a paperwork exercise; it is a production and warehousing control that needs to be maintained through staging, consolidation, and handover. Where exceptions are possible, approvals sit with state authorities and operators, and the practical implication is fewer “we’ll sort it at the airport” workarounds.
Ocean rules have also moved from “getting ready” to “mandatory.” IMDG Code Amendment 42-24 became enforceable on 1 January 2026, and one of the more consequential changes for battery-powered vehicles is the removal of the generic UN 3171 entry for lithium-ion and sodium-ion powered vehicles. Shipments now need to be declared using specific UN numbers appropriate to the battery chemistry, and documentation has to match the declaration. Placarding expectations have tightened too, with industry guidance increasingly pointing shippers towards placarding relevant containers on all four sides to reduce port-by-port interpretation risk and avoid gate-in disruption.
That combination — state-of-charge controls by air and classification and placarding changes by sea — raises the cost of inconsistency. A shipment can be correctly packed and still fail at the last mile of compliance if the paperwork is incomplete, the UN number is wrong for the commodity, or labels do not align with local enforcement practice. It also puts pressure on shippers that use multiple forwarders, carriers, and packaging providers, because standardisation becomes the only workable approach at volume.
Logistics Plus said the guidance is intended to help shippers, manufacturers, and logistics teams stay compliant when handling and transporting battery products across air and ocean modes. The updated document is being made available as a free download.
