Archive

Apr 2021

New UN ECE Regulation on Automated Lane Keeping Systems Published

On March 4, 2021, new United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN ECE) Regulation No. 157-00 on automated lane keeping systems was officially published. This new Regulation represents a major milestone in the establishment of legal requirements for automated driving systems because it is the first Regulation to cover systems which actively control both the vehicle’s lateral movement (i.e. steering) and its longitudinal movement (i.e. acceleration and deceleration) over extended periods without driver input.

Mar 2021

Draft EU Regulation on Driver Drowsiness and Attention Warning Systems Published

The mandatory fitment of Driver Drowsiness and Attention Warning (DDAW) systems is one of the new safety features mandated by EU Regulation 2019/2144, and to support the introduction of such systems, on February 8, 2021, the European Commission published a draft Delegated Regulation on the type approval of DDAW systems. This draft Regulation specifies technical and performance requirements for DDAW systems and specifies criteria for the validation testing which must be undertaken by vehicle manufacturers to demonstrate the compliance of their DDAW systems with defined minimum performance thresholds.

Feb 2021

New Chinese Standards on Advanced Driver Assistance Systems Published

The Chinese Government have published three new standards which specifically cover advanced driver assistance systems. Chinese standard GB/T 39263-2020 specifies terms and definitions for a wide variety of different advanced driver assistance systems, whilst Chinese standards GB/T 39265-2020 and GB/T 39323-2020 specify technical requirements and test procedures for blind spot detection systems and lane keep assist systems respectively.

Jan 2021

NHTSA Seeks Additional Input for Development of a Framework for Automated Driving System (ADS) Safety

As noted in the InterRegs December Bulletin, NHTSA had authored an ANPRM on Automated Driving Systems that was to be released in the Federal Register soon. In the December 3rd Federal Register (F.R. Vol. 85 No. 223) the ANPRM was published. The document contains numerous specific requests for comment regarding Safety Framework, NHTSA Research, Administrative Mechanisms and Statutory Authority. The ANPRM also highlights potential safety benefits of ADSs and activity to remove unintentional and unnecessary barriers to the development and deployment of ADS vehicles.

Dec 2020

Updates to UN ECE Regulation on Advanced Emergency Braking Systems Published

Since the publication of the original version of UN ECE Regulation No. 152 on advanced emergency braking systems (AEBS) for M1 and N1 category vehicles, the Informal Working Group responsible for the development of this Regulation have continued to work on further refinements and enhancements to the requirements applicable to such systems. On November 4, 2020, the latest output of this ongoing work was published in the form of a Supplement 1 to ECE 152.00 and an 01 Series of Amendments to ECE 152. The changes introduced by Supplement 1 are mainly to clarify the technical requirements and their application, whereas the changes introduced by the 01 Series of Amendments increase the stringency of the vehicle to pedestrian performance requirements.

Nov 2020

New Australian Road Vehicle Standards Legislation Published

In preparation for the mandatory implementation of the Australian Road Vehicle Standards Act 2018, on September 30, 2020, the Australian Government published a new 03 version of Australian Design Rule (ADR) 61 on vehicle marking. This new version of the ADR, ADR 61/03, removes the requirement to fit vehicles with an identification plate/compliance plate and replaces it with a requirement for vehicles to be fitted with a "secure vehicle identification marking."

Oct 2020

The NHTSA/DOT issue Interim Final Rule and Request for Comments Regarding Delay of FMVSS 141 Minimum Sound Requirements for Hybrid and Electric Vehicles

NHTSA has published an Interim Final Rule along with a Request for Comments in response to a petition asking for relief in meeting phase-in and full compliance dates for FMVSS 141 - Minimum Sound Requirements for Hybrid and Electric Vehicles. Assembly and supplier part plants that were shut down due to COVID-19 precautions are causing issues in meeting the projected timing for compliance. Initial NHTSA response is a 6 month delay in compliance dates for FMVSS 141.

Sep 2020

EU Proposes Revisions to the Post 2020 Average CO2 Monitoring Requirements for Light Duty Vehicles

As specified in Regulation (EU) 2019/631, the average CO2 emissions targets applicable to passenger car and light commercial vehicle manufacturers will switch from being based on New European Drive Cycle (NEDC) figures to being based on Worldwide Harmonised Light Duty Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) figures from January 1, 2021. On August 4, 2020, the European Commission published a draft Regulation proposing amendments to (EU) 2019/631 to further facilitate the transition to WLTP based average CO2 emissions targets.

Aug 2020

New UN ECE Regulations on Cyber Security and Software Updates Adopted

At the 181st session of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN ECE) World Forum for Harmonisation of Vehicle Regulations (WP.29) in June 2020, two new draft UN ECE Regulations relating to vehicle electronic systems were adopted. The first of these new draft Regulations, now designated ECE 155-00, introduces requirements on the cyber security of onboard vehicle electronic systems and on the cyber security management systems that vehicle manufacturers must have in place. The second new draft Regulation, now designated ECE 156-00, introduces requirements on software updates to in-service vehicles, including "over the air" software updates, and on the software management systems that vehicle manufacturers must have in place.

Jul 2020

New Chinese Standards on Electric Vehicles and Batteries Published

As part of an exercise to update the safety requirements applicable to electrically powered vehicles, China has recently published three new Chinese standards. GB 38031-2020 is a new standard covering safety requirements for electric vehicle batteries, which replaces two existing GB/T standards, GB 18384-2020 is a new standard covering safety requirements for electric vehicles, which replaces three existing GB/T standards and GB 38032-2020 is a completely new standard introducing specific safety requirements for electric and hybrid electric buses.