KEY NEWS 1/4
EU - EURO 7
New provisional agreement
The European Parliament and the Council have reached a provisional agreement on new rules to reduce emissions from road transport for cars, vans, buses, trucks, and trailers.
The regulation for the type-approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles (Euro 7) aims to support the transition towards clean mobility and keep the prices of private and commercial vehicles affordable for citizens and businesses. Vehicles will need to comply with the new standards for longer, ensuring they remain cleaner throughout their lifetime.
- Updated limits for exhaust emissions;
- Fewer particle emissions from tyres and brakes, increased battery durability;
- Better information to consumers.
Next steps:
Parliament and Council need to formally approve the agreement before it can enter into force. The regulation will apply 30 months after its entry into force for cars and vans, and 48 months for buses, trucks and trailers (for vehicles constructed by small volume manufacturers, it will apply from 1 July 2030 for cars and vans, and from 1 July 2031 for buses and trucks).
KEY NEWS 2/4
EU - R(EU) 2023/2866. New Regulation implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/631
Procedures for verifying that the CO2 emission and fuel consumption values
Has been published in the Official Journal of the European Union the new Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/2866 implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/631 of the European Parliament and of the Council by determining the procedures for performing the verification of the CO2 emission and fuel consumption values of passenger cars and light commercial vehicles in-service (in-service verification).
This Regulation aims to establish the procedures for verifying that the CO2 emission and fuel consumption values recorded in the certificates of conformity correspond to the CO2 emissions from, and the fuel consumption of, passenger cars and light commercial vehicles in-service and the procedures for verifying the presence of any strategies on board or relating to the vehicles that artificially improve the vehicle's performance in the tests performed for the purpose of type-approval. Together, these procedures are referred to in this Regulation as ‘in-service verification’.
It also establishes detailed rules on the procedures for reporting deviations found in the CO2 emissions of vehicles in-service as compared to the specific emissions of CO2 recorded in the certificates of conformity as a result of in-service verification and for taking those deviations into account in the calculation of the manufacturer’s average specific emissions of CO2.
This new Regulation entered into force on 7 January 2024.
KEY NEWS 3/4
USA - Human Interaction With Driving Automation Systems
Notice and Request for Comment
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is working to receive public feedback regarding its intention to have a new collection of information. The proposed collection of information supports research addressing safety-related aspects of drivers' interactions with driving automation systems.
This research will support NHTSA in understanding the potential safety challenges associated with human-DAS interactions, particularly in the context of mixed traffic interactions where some vehicles have DAS and others do not. Within mixed traffic environments, vehicles may also have DAS that perform more or less of the driving task (i.e., different levels of automation) and come with their own sets of expectations and limitations.
It will be divided in 3 studies:
- The objective of the first study is to understand how humans interact with DAS in mixed traffic environments, driving environments where some vehicles have automated capabilities, and some vehicles are driven manually;
- Study 2 will focus on understanding the impact of different levels of automated system capability, defined by how well the automation can perform different driving behaviours;
- Study 3 will be similar to Study 2 but will focus on how the decisionmaking behaviours of the automated driving systems impact user experience and driving performance.
This work seeks to examine how drivers interact with driving automation systems in a wide sample of contexts and different levels of automation.
KEY NEWS 4/4
UK - Use of UNECE test reports in GB type approval applications
VCA is updating its policy on the use of UNECE test reports from technical services not designated by the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) during the phase-in period of the GB type approval scheme.
To date, VCA’s policy has been not to accept the use of UNECE test reports from nonVCA designated technical services under the provisions of retained Regulation (EU) 2018/858, Article 30(2A).
That provision, known as the “Technical Service waiver”, allows VCA to accept test reports produced (before the specified date) by technical services designated by an EU member state and which were presented to an EU authority as part of an application for EU type approval. This policy has now been updated, meaning that for the period of derogation set out in these provisions VCA may accept UNECE test reports from nondesignated technical services in support of GB type approval applications.
The change has been applied from 28 November 2023.
Any manufacturers using UNECE test reports as part of a GB type approval application must plan for not being able to do so after the derogation expires at the end of 2026 for M and N category vehicles, or the end of 2027 for O category vehicles. This may require manufacturers to obtain UNECE type approvals for the subject in question or move test work to a VCA designated technical service after that date.
New content available in the IRIS Knowledge Base
|
No |
Subject of the Regulation |
Amendment level |
Vehicle categories |
Application date |
|
Decision (EU) 2023/2921 |
Position to be taken on behalf of the European Union within the Partnership Council established by the Trade and Cooperation Agreement as regards the transitional product-specific rules for electric accumulators and electrified vehicles |
IN FORCE |
N1, M1 |
28-Dec-2023 |
|
R(EU) 2023/2866 |
Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/631 - Procedures for performing the verification of the CO2 emission and fuel consumption values of passenger cars and light commercial vehicles in-service (in-service verification). |
ADOPTED PROPOSALS |
N1, M1 |
07-Jan-2024 |
|
Decision (EU) 2023/2723 |
Harmonised standards for electrical equipment in suppport of Directive 2014/35/EU |
IN FORCE |
L3, L1, N2, L2, N3, L4, L5, L6, L7, N1, M1, M2, M3 |
13-Dec-2023 |
|
Decision (EU) 2023/2698 |
Specification of reference CO2 emissions of heavy-duty vehicle groups not covered by R(EU) 2019/1242 |
ADOPTED PROPOSALS |
N2, N3 |
26-Dec-2023 |
|
TC11-2023-02 |
Revision and additions of Standards Adopted for China Compulsory Certification |
IN FORCE |
N2, N3, N1, M1, M2, M3 |
09-Nov-2023 |
|
GB/T 38698.2-2023 |
Recovery of traction battery used in electrical vehicle - Management specification - Part 2: Take-back service network |
IN FORCE |
L3, L1, N2, L2, N3, N1, M1, M2, M3 |
07-Sep-2023 |
Automotive News
New EU Urban Mobility Framework
The European Union has published in its Official Journal a new Resolution containing the new EU urban mobility framework. Regarding the future of vehicles, the framework contains the following points:
EU calls for collective transport and particularly public transport that is accessible, well organised, affordable and offers good quality to citizens with a comfortable doorto-door service; notes that the share of clean vehicles in the fleet as well as smart and sustainable modes such as trams are an important factor in reducing air pollution, carbon emissions and congestion;
Highlights, in relation to road safety, the importance of active and passive safety features in private vehicles and collective transport vehicles and stresses the importance of the availability of the mobile network in the Member States as it is necessary for emergency buttons;
Notes that, in the case of accessibility, AI and digitalisation can make a significant contribution through auditory signals in public transport and infrastructure, deployment of intelligent private vehicles, pre-trip virtualisation, safe or smart intersection crossings or assistive robots;
Calls moreover on the Commission to harmonise technical standards and requirements for types of micro-mobility transport; calls for a review of the CE marking legislation and its application and an analysis of whether including these vehicles in the Type Approval Regulation can offer a solution;
Stresses the cases of extremely long border waiting times for rail but especially for road freight transport that in some cases cause the disruption of urban mobility systems and all types of transport; stresses that such occurrences negatively affecting border towns and areas and has direct impact on air quality and noise pollution while deteriorating health of European citizens; increases the risk of road accidents and damages the infrastructure; therefore, calls for the introduction of an EU-wide standard of an average 1-minute time for processing and controls of heavyduty vehicles at EU borders, including measures in case of its non-compliance;
Notes that urban vehicle access regulations (UVARs) are increasingly being used in European urban areas to reduce congestion and pollution, including by restricting access for heavy goods vehicles; notes that UVARS are also often based on Euro vehicle standards; notes in this regard the proposal for new more stringent Euro 7 standards;
Highlights the importance of zero and low-emissions mobility alternative fuels, as well as the circular economy in order to achieve the EU’s ambitious environmental 20 This newsletter only includes developments in the regulatory environment for L, M, N, O and Tvehicles which Applus IDIADA is aware of. Applus IDIADA shall not be held responsible for any omissions or errors in the information contained in this newsletter goals; notes in this regard that conversion to zero- and low-emissions vehicles, particularly electric ones, has great potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in an inclusive and more affordable way; underlines therefore that optimisation of the regulatory environment at EU level is of crucial importance in supporting the retrofit industry; invites Member States and the Commission to work in collaboration in order to develop various financial, fiscal and regulatory incentives to enable private and business users to convert to zero- and low-emissions alternatives;
Underlines that autonomous vehicles equipped with AI systems that scan their surroundings and react instantly can significantly reduce human error and have the potential to contribute substantially to reducing accidents and fatalities if deployed with appropriate safeguards; considers therefore that, given the fact that progress in reducing EU road fatality rates has stagnated in the last two decades, these can be important tool to accelerate progress towards Vision Zero;
Underlines in this regard that fully autonomous or highly automated vehicles will be commercially available in the coming years and that appropriate regulatory frameworks, ensuring their safe operation and providing for a clear regime governing liability, need to be in place as soon as possible in order to address the resulting changes, including interactions between autonomous vehicles and infrastructure and other users.
Tax break to stay for over 90% of New Energy Vehicles
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has announced that more than 90% of China's existing new energy vehicle (NEV) models will continue to receive tax breaks on purchases, under new technical requirements.
The technical requirements for NEV eligibility for purchase tax exemptions from 2024 state that pure electric cars should have a driving range of at least 200 kilometres per charge while plug-in hybrid cars should be able to run at least 43 kilometres on electricity.
Vehicles that cannot drive at speeds of more than 100km per hour are not eligible under the rules, while EV batteries with energy density below 125Wh/kg also do not qualify. The new regulations also specify that in cold weather, EVs that lose 35% or more range or have less than 120km of driving distance in these conditions are excluded.
The EV incentive package, worth a total of $72 billion, was first introduced in June and will run until 2028. EVs bought in 2024 and 2025 will be exempted from sales tax up to a maximum of 30,000 yuan.
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