Archive

Jul 2021

Draft EU Regulation on Type Approval Market Surveillance Requirements Published

On June 8, 2021, the European Commission published a new draft EU Implementing Regulation for EU Regulation No. 2018/858 on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles. This new draft Implementing Regulation provides additional detail and definition regarding the operation and coordination of the market surveillance activities specified within (EU) No. 2018/858. In addition, this draft Implementing Regulation also defines the data which manufacturers must make available to the European Commission and to legitimate third party organisations to allow them to carry compliance testing on their products.

Jun 2021

NHTSA Seeks To Repeal The Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient Vehicles Part One: One National Program

Published in the May 12, 2021 Federal Register, a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) proposes to fully repeal the regulatory text and appendices promulgated in the "The Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient (SAFE) Vehicles Rule Part One: One National Program" (Safe I) regulation published in the September 27, 2019 Federal Register. NHTSA had codified regulatory text and made additional pronouncements regarding the preemption of state and local laws related to fuel economy standards. This NPRM proposes to repeal and withdraw the interpretative statements made by the NHTSA in the SAFE I rule preamble, including those regarding the preemption of particular state Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions standards or Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) mandates.

May 2021

EU Regulation on Emergency Lane Keeping Systems Published

The mandatory fitment of Emergency Lane Keeping Systems (ELKS) is one of the new safety features required by EU Regulation 2019/2144, and to support the introduction of such systems, a new Implementing Regulation on ELKS was published in the Official Journal of the European Union on April 20, 2021. This new Implementing Regulation, (EU) 2021/646, specifies the technical and performance requirements for Emergency Lane Keeping Systems (ELKS), which are actually a combination of a Lane Departure Warning System (LDWS) and a Corrective Directional Control Function (CDCF).

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.