Archive

Dec 2018

ECE Regulation on Steering Updated to Cover Further Automatically Commanded Steering Functions

On 2nd November 2018, an 03 series of amendments to UN ECE Regulation No. 79 was published. This follows on from the previous 02 series of amendments to United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN ECE) Regulation No. 79 on steering systems, which introduced new requirements to cover park assist systems, remote control parking systems, lane keep assist systems and corrective steering functions. The new 03 series of amendments now introduces requirements to cover lane change assist systems and emergency steering functions, as well as updates to the Annex on special requirements to be applied to the safety aspects of electronic control systems.

Nov 2018

The U.S. DOT Issued a Notice of Request for Comments on newly issued autonomous vehicle guidelines - Preparing for the Future of Transportation: Automated Vehicles 3.0 (AV 3.0)

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has issued a Notice of Request for Comments on a newly issued autonomous vehicles document: The DOT has issued an update to Automated Driving Systems 2.0 (AV 2.0): A Vision for Safety. Based on input from a diverse set of stakeholder engagements, this new document Preparing for the Future of Transportation: Automated Vehicles 3.0 (AV 3.0) expands the scope and is structured around three key areas: Advancing multi-modal safety, Reducing policy uncertainty and Outlining a process for working with the DOT. The DOT views this action as the beginning of a national discussion about the future of our on-road surface transportation system. This document will continue to evolve over time based on public comment, the experience of the DOT, manufacturers, suppliers, consumers and others, and further technological innovation.

Oct 2018

ECE Adopts Updated Requirements on Selective Catalyst Reduction Systems for Light Duty Vehicles

The World Forum for Harmonisation of Vehicle Regulations (WP.29) has recently adopted a proposed Supplement 7 to United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN ECE) Regulation No. 83.07 on light duty emissions which introduces alternative activation thresholds for the driver alerting systems and driver inducement systems fitted to vehicles with diesel engines that are equipped with selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems.

Sep 2018

China Introduces Reduced Fuel Consumption Limits for Heavy Duty Vehicles

The Chinese government have recently published an updated version of the Chinese Standard specifying the maximum permissible fuel consumption limits for heavy duty vehicles. This updated standard, GB 30510-2018, specifies fuel consumption limits which are around 15% lower than the limits specified in the previous version of this Standard.

Aug 2018

New EU Regulation on Heavy Duty Vehicle CO2 Emissions Monitoring Published

As part of the European Union's plans to implement a CO2 emissions reduction regime for heavy duty vehicles, on 9th July 2018, a new EU Regulation on the monitoring and reporting of CO2 emissions from and fuel consumption of heavy duty vehicles was published. This new Regulation, (EU) No. 2018/956, specifies the data that must be recorded by Member States and by heavy duty vehicle manufacturers and requires the submission of this data to the European Commission on an ongoing annual basis.

Jul 2018

New EU Type Approval Framework Regulation Published

On 14th June 2018, the new EU Regulation on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles, EU Regulation No. 2018/858, was finally published in the Official Journal of the European Union. Whilst this new Regulation, which repeals and replaces 2007/46/EC, does not contain any significant changes to the technical requirements applicable to vehicles, systems and components, it does contain major revisions to the applicable processes and procedures and introduces numerous additional checks to ensure the robustness of the type approval process.

Jun 2018

EU Proposes New Regulation to Repeal and Replace (EC) No. 661/2009

On 17th May 2018, the European Commission published a draft new EU Regulation that will repeal and replace EC Regulation No. 661/2009 on the type approval requirements for the general safety of motor vehicles, their trailers and systems, components and separate technical units intended therefor, more often referred to as the General Safety Regulation or GSR. This draft new Regulation updates the list of UN ECE Regulations that apply on a compulsory basis for EU type approval to include additional UN ECE Regulations on components and the latest UN ECE Regulations on occupant protection, i.e. ECE 135.01 on pole side impact and ECE 137.01 on full width barrier frontal impact. It also expands the scope of some existing UN ECE Regulations so that they apply to additional types of vehicle and requires the mandatory fitment of a number of new safety features, including intelligent speed assistance (ISA) systems, lane keeping systems, blind spot information systems and driver drowsiness and attention detection systems.

May 2018

The FMCSA issues a Request for Comments to Identify Regulatory Barriers to Introducing Automated Driving Systems on Commercial Motor Vehicles in Interstate Commerce

This month's Spotlight article highlights another opportunity for stakeholder input for revising current regulations and/or drafting new ones regarding autonomous vehicles. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) recently requested input regarding what actions need to be taken to avoid the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations from being a barrier to the evaluation and introduction of Automated Driving Systems on commercial vehicles. In addition to responses to specific questions, the FMCSA is seeking additional comments that manufacturers, owners, State partners, consumer groups, inspectors and others believe are important to consider when deploying these potential safety features.

Apr 2018

New Brazilian Resolution on Side Impact Protection Published

In January 2018, the Brazilian National Traffic Council (CONTRAN) published a new Resolution covering vehicle occupant protection requirements in the event of a side impact. This new Resolution applies to passenger cars, multipurpose passenger vehicles pick-up trucks and vans, and requires compliance with requirements that are based on UN ECE Regulation No. 95 and US FMVSS 214.

Mar 2018

Draft ECE Regulation on International Whole Vehicle Type Approval (IWVTA) Adopted

In November 2017, at their 173rd session, the World Forum for Harmonisation of Vehicle Regulations (WP.29) finally adopted the new United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN ECE) Regulation, ECE Regulation No.0, on International Whole Vehicle Type Approval (IWVTA). This new Regulation, which represents a major step towards the global harmonisation of vehicle regulations, has recently been allocated a provisional entry into force date of 19th July 2018.