A shipment of battery-grade nickel can leave Indonesia with everything a buyer once required: the correct chemical specification, weight, price and delivery date. Soon, that will no longer be enough. From February 2027, electric-vehicle batteries placed on the European Union market must carry a digital battery passport. It will link the physical battery to information on its composition, carbon footprint, recycled content and responsible sourcing. The mineral and its digital twin will have to arrive together.