In China, limits on the fuel consumption of heavy duty vehicles were first implemented by Chinese Standard No. GB 30510-2014, which was published in February 2014. This standard specified maximum permissible fuel consumption limits for all commercial vehicles with a gross vehicle weight (GVW) exceeding 3,500kg, with separate limit values being specified based on the type of vehicle, i.e. general goods vehicles, tractor units for semi-trailers, dump trucks (tippers), urban buses and coaches, and on the vehicle’s GVW. Compliance with the limit values specified in this original Standard became mandatory for new types of vehicle from July 1, 2014 and for all new vehicles from July 1, 2015.
In February 2018, an updated version of Chinese Standard GB 30510, GB 30510-2018, was published which specified reduced fuel consumption limits for all types of heavy duty vehicle. Compared to the 2014 version of the standard, this new version of the standard specifies fuel consumption limits which are around 15% lower than those specified in the previous version of the standard. Compliance with these lower fuel consumption limits became mandatory for new types of vehicle from July 1, 2019 and for all new vehicles from July 1, 2021.
To support the Chinese government’s ongoing plan to reduce the fuel consumption of, and hence the CO2 emissions from, heavy duty vehicles, a further update to Chinese Standard GB 30510, GB 30510-2024, has recently been published. Compared to the fuel consumption limits specified in GB 30510-2018, the fuel consumption limits specified in GB 30510-2024 are around 10% lower, with reductions ranging from 6% to 13% depending of the specific vehicle type and GVW.
In addition to introducing reduced fuel consumption limits for all types of heavy duty vehicle, the updated version of the standard also:
Requires the fuel consumption measurements to be undertaken in accordance with the latest versions of the relevant Chinese Standards on fuel consumption measurement:
-GB/T 27840-2021 for vehicles with petrol and diesel engines, and
-GB/T 19754-2021 for hybrid electric vehicles.
- Introduces criteria to define the variations in vehicle specification that are permitted within a vehicle type.
- Introduces a formula which can be used to convert the fuel consumption values, in L/100km, into CO2 emissions values, in g/km.
Compliance with the reduced fuel consumption limits specified by GB 30510-2024 becomes mandatory for new vehicle types from July 1, 2025 and for all new vehicles from August 1, 2027.