Light electric vehicles: Identification

Vehicle identifier, marking and association of the traction battery. A working draft that applies the vehicle identification number structure to e-scooters.

Kind: Working draft
Published: October 19, 2026
Comments by: 20 November 2026, clause by clause
Length: 11 pages

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Summary

This draft applies the structure of the vehicle identification number used on road vehicles to personal e-transporters, which fall outside the vehicle types to which ISO 3779 applies, so that every system that reads a road-vehicle identifier can read this one without change.

It adds what road-vehicle identification does not cover: the association of the vehicle with its traction battery, which may be replaced during the vehicle's life.

Status

Status. Working draft for comment. This document is not a standard and has no standing as one.
Intended for. Consideration by IEC/TC 125 (Personal e-Transporters) and its national mirror committees, SAE International, and certification bodies for personal e-transporters.
Editor. Cardog Inc., Newmarket, Ontario, Canada. Reviewers are named in each subsequent draft.
Comments. By 20 November 2026, clause by clause.

Scope

This document specifies:

the content and structure of an identifier for personal e-transporters;
the marking of that identifier on the vehicle;
the identification of the traction battery and its association with the vehicle identifier;
the minimum data elements of an identification record and the publication of decoding information.

It applies to personal e-transporters as defined in IEC 63281-1 that have a standing platform and are intended for use on public roads or in public spaces (electric kick-scooters). It does not apply to electrically power assisted cycles, or to vehicles that the law of the place of sale requires to bear a vehicle identification number under ISO 3779.

Clause 1, Scope
Clause 2, Normative references
Clause 3, Terms and definitions
Clause 4, Vehicle identifier
Clause 5, Marking
Clause 6, Traction battery
Clause 7, Identification record and decoding information
Clause 8, Conformity
Annex A (normative), Check digit and model year code
Annex B (informative), Recommended coding of positions 4 to 8
Annex C (normative), Content of decoding information
Annex D (informative), Correspondence with the German rule for e-scooters
Annex E (informative), Questions for reviewers

The identification record

Table 1, the minimum data elements of the identification record. The column "Entered by" is informative.

Data element	Entered by	When	Access
Vehicle identifier; manufacturer; model; model year	Manufacturer	Manufacture	Public
Attributes 4.4 a) to e)	Manufacturer	Manufacture	Public
Product safety certification references	Manufacturer	Manufacture	Public
Battery identifier(s); charger model	Manufacturer	Manufacture	Public
Recall campaign and remedy status	Manufacturer	On recall	Public
Battery replacement: new battery identifier	Repairer	On replacement	Public
Battery replacement: replacing party	Repairer	On replacement	Restricted
First retail sale (date, seller)	Seller	On sale	Restricted
Theft report reference	Police or owner	On report	Restricted
Fire investigation reference	Fire service	On investigation	Restricted
Registration reference	Registering authority	On registration	Restricted
Building or premises register reference	Building operator	On registration	Restricted

Questions for reviewers

Manufacturers. Do the attributes in 4.4 match how you describe your models? What does the identifier on your German units contain today?
Fire services and investigators. Is the direct marking in 5.1 legible after a battery fire? What must be readable at the scene?
Police. Which data elements does a theft report need to lead to recovery?
Sellers. Can the symbol in 5.2 g) be checked at the point of sale in under ten seconds?
Certification bodies. Where should the requirements of Clauses 5 and 6 sit in existing certification programmes for personal e-transporters?
Authorities. Which existing rule could refer to this document without a new one?
All. Should seated e-scooters, e-bikes and e-mopeds come into scope in the next draft?

Sources

Comments by 20 November 2026, clause by clause. Published October 19, 2026.

ISO 3779:2009, Road vehicles, Vehicle identification number (VIN), Content and structure.
ISO 3780:2009, Road vehicles, World manufacturer identifier (WMI) code.
ISO 4030:1983, Road vehicles, Vehicle identification number (VIN), Location and attachment.
IEC 63281-1:2023, E-Transporters, Part 1, Terminology and classification.
ISO/IEC 16022, ISO/IEC 18004 and ISO/IEC 15459, automatic identification and data capture techniques.

This draft

Supersedes: None. This is the first draft.
Superseded by: Not yet. Reviewers are named in each subsequent draft.
Read with: E-scooter batteries in Canada, evidence brief

This draft is sealed: it is not edited after publication. A later one supersedes it, and this one stays readable here.