Archive
Nov 2024
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) regarding Pedestrian Protection
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in the September 19, 2024 Federal Register (F.R. Vol. 89, No. 182; NHTSA-2024-0057). Data indicates pedestrian fatalities increasing substantially in recent years. This NPRM would ensure that passenger vehicles are designed to reduce the risk of serious to fatal child and adult head injury in pedestrian crashes. The new Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 228, Pedestrian Head Protection, would apply to passenger cars, light trucks (including pickups), Multipurpose Passenger Vehicles (MPVs) (MPVs include Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs), crossover vehicles and vans) and buses with a GVWR of 4,536kg (10,000lb) or less. The standard would require vehicles to meet a Head Injury Criterion (HIC) when subjected to testing simulating a head-to-hood impact. The vehicles would have to reduce the risk of serious to fatal head injury to child and adult pedestrians in impacts at vehicle speeds up to 40km/h (25mph), which encompass about 70% of pedestrian injuries from vehicle impacts. It is expected the standard would be beneficial even at higher speeds.
Oct 2024
New UN ECE Regulation on Driver Control Assistance Systems Published
A new United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN ECE) Regulation on Driver Control Assistance Systems (DCAS), UN ECE Regulation No. 171-00, came into force on September 22, 2024. Work on developing this new Regulation began in 2021, when the UN ECE World Forum for the Harmonisation of Vehicle Regulations (WP.29) noted that such systems were beginning to become available on the market, but that no specific Regulations existed to cover their specification and performance. This new Regulation defines Driver Control Assistance Systems (DCAS) as a combination of "hardware and software collectively capable of assisting a driver in controlling the longitudinal and lateral motion of the vehicle on a sustained basis" and specifies technical and performance requirements that DCAS must comply with, along with specific test procedures to confirm that vehicles equipped with DCAS comply with the specified requirements.
Sep 2024
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Issues Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to Revise Federal Motor Vehicle Standard 207 for Seating
On July 16, 2024 NHTSA issued an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) in the Federal Register addressing direction to the Secretary of Transportation to initiate rulemaking to update FMVSS 207 Seating Systems. The NHTSA partially granted rulemaking petitions which sought changes to improve the safety of children during rear-end crashes. NHTSA denied a petition which sought to require additional warnings instructing adults regarding which rear seating position to place children in. Comments must be received no later than September 16, 2024.
Aug 2024
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) published a Supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (SNPRM) to amend the NHTSA regulations to include an advanced crash test dummy
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Provided Additional Information on Advanced Crash Test Dummies --– On July 9th the NHTSA issued a Supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (SNPRM) announcing the availability of documents supplementing NHTSA's September 2023 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. This rulemaking is to amend NHTSA’s regulations to include an advanced crash test dummy – The Test Device for Human Occupant Restraint 50th percentile adult male (THOR). The documents listed in this notification were scheduled to be available in the docket as of July 9, 2024. Comments regarding this SNPRM are due by August 8, 2024.
Jul 2024
Updated UN ECE Regulations Relating to Hydrogen Fuelled Vehicles Published
Following the publication of Amendment 1 to United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN ECE) Global Technical Regulation No. 13 on hydrogen and fuel cell vehicles, an equivalent set of amendments to the UN ECE Regulation on hydrogen fuelled vehicles, UN ECE Regulation No. 134, were developed to ensure alignment and consistency between the two Regulations. The resulting 02 Series of Amendments to UN ECE Regulation No. 134 were adopted by the UN ECE World Forum for Harmonisation of Vehicle Regulations (WP.29) in November 2023 and came into force on June 15, 2024. On that same date, an 05 Series of Amendments to UN ECE Regulation No. 94 on offset deformable barrier front impact, and 06 Series of Amendments to UN ECE Regulation No. 95 on lateral impact and an 03 Series of Amendments to UN ECE Regulation No. 137 on full width flat barrier front impact also came into force. Each of these Series of Amendments introduce the necessary provisions into the relevant Regulation to allow for the crash testing of hydrogen fuelled vehicles.
Jun 2024
EU Euro 7 Emissions Regulation Published
On May 8, 2024, a new European Union Regulation specifying the 'Euro 7' emissions requirements was published in the Official Journal of the European Union. This new EU Regulation, (EU) 2024/1257, repeals and replaces both (EC) 715/2007 on light duty vehicle emissions (Euro 6) and (EC) 595/2009 on heavy duty vehicle emissions (Euro VI), effectively bringing all of the EU requirements on emissions into one Regulation. Whilst the exhaust emissions test procedures for both light duty and heavy duty vehicles specified in this new Regulation remain essentially unchanged from those specified in the existing Euro 6 and Euro VI emissions Regulations, the new Regulation does introduce some revisions to the applicable emissions limits, especially for heavy duty vehicles where both new and more stringent emissions limits are introduced. Additionally, the Regulation introduces new requirements and limits on the particulate emissions from brakes and tyres, new requirements and limits on the durability of batteries for pure electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and requires the mandatory fitment of an onboard monitoring (OBM) system to monitor the vehicle’s exhaust emissions whilst the vehicle is in operation.
May 2024
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for a New Federal Motor Vehicle Standard (FMVSS) for Electric Vehicles (EVs)
On April 15, 2024 NHTSA published in the Federal Register a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to advance the safety of Electric Vehicles (EVs). The proposal includes a new FMVSS 305a, extension of requirements to heavy vehicles, responses to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recommendations, OEM standard emergency responder information, and harmonization with Global Technical Regulation (GTR) 20. Comments are required by June 14, 2024 and compliance is expected two years after the Final Rule is published in the Federal Register.
Apr 2024
New UN ECE Regulation on Real Driving Emissions Published
On March 19, 2024, a new United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN ECE) Regulation on the real driving emissions (RDE) of light duty passenger and commercial vehicles was formally published. This new UN ECE Regulation, UN ECE Regulation No. 168, specifies a worldwide harmonised method to determine the gaseous and particulate emissions from light duty vehicles during real world driving conditions. The emissions tests specified by this new Regulation are carried out using portable emissions measurement system (PEMS) equipment which can be fitted directly to the vehicle under test, thereby allowing the test vehicle to be driven on public roads, under real world conditions, whilst the gaseous and particulate emissions are being measured.
Mar 2024
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Issued a Final Rule (FR) to Amend Consumer Product Safety Standard for Four-Wheel All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs)
The CPSC issued a Final Rule (FR) in the Federal Register: Volume 89, Number 15 dealing with16 CFR Part 1420 for ATV safety. The CPSC addressed the comments that were submitted for the NPRM and proceeded with the FR content and timing for an effective date of January 1, 2025.
Feb 2024
NHTSA Issue ANPRM Regarding Advanced Drunk and Impaired Driving Prevention Technology
On January 5, 2024 the NHTSA published an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) in the Federal Register. This notice deals with Advanced Impaired Driving Prevention Technology by announcing the NHTSA's research and testing on this topic, discussing the current state of advanced impaired driving technology, and requesting public comments on some specific topics and questions. This action initiates rulemaking that would gather the information necessary to develop performance requirements and require that new passenger motor vehicles must be equipped with advanced drunk and impaired driving prevention technology. It would result in a new Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) related to preventing drunk and impaired driving. Comments are due no later than March 5, 2024.