Motor vehicle type approval explained

Motor vehicle type approval is the method by which motor vehicles, vehicle trailers and systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles achieve type approval in the European Union (EU) or in other UN-ECE member states. There is no EU approval body: authorized approval bodies of member states are responsible for type approval, which will be accepted in all member states.

History

Approval schemes for new motor vehicles and their trailers in the European Union are outlined in framework directive 2007/46/EC:[1] [2]

The European Commission can adopt amendments to this Directive which are necessary to lay down technical requirements for small series vehicles, vehicles approved under the individual approval procedure and 'special purpose vehicles'.[1]

UNECE Regulations are part of the EC type-approval of a vehicle in the same way as the separate directives or regulations. They may be applied on a compulsory basis in accordance with Article 4(4) of Decision 97/836/EC[4] by amending the relevant annexes to the Framework Directive.[1]

Automotive EC Directives and ECE Regulations require third party approval – testing, certification and production conformity assessment by an independent body. Each member state is required to appoint an Approval Authority to issue the approvals, and a Technical Service to carry out the testing to the Directives and Regulations.

An approval issued by one Authority will be accepted in all the Member States.[5] If a vehicle is produced in a very small quantity (e.g. M1 maximum 75 per year), single EU Member States can grant exception on a discretionary basis, but the validity of the type approval is limited to the boundaries of those nations which concede to it.[6]

Cornerstones of the type approval process are:[6]

A particular country’s type approval may consist of one or more of the following forms:

There are multiple methods of type-approval:[1]

EC Whole Vehicle Type Approval (also called Pan European Type Approval) is intended to prevent trade barriers, and at the same time guarantee the level of safety and restricted environmental influence of a vehicle. Thanks to that, the car can be registered in each European member state without additional national tests or approval. This harmonisation results in reduced costs and lead time for the manufacturer, importer as well as the consumer. Mandatory compliance date for ECWVTA for M1 vehicles was 29 April 2009. However cars that already have an ECWVTA but are imported from non-EC countries often need to be re-approved when entering the EC.[8]

In the United Kingdom, this function is performed by the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA).[9] This body has the power to issue International Organization for Standardization (ISO) certifications. Following Brexit, EU regulations relating to type approval continue to apply in the UK as retained EU law, but UK type approvals are no longer automatically recognized in the EC.

COC number

Following type approval, a vehicle is issued with a Certificate of Conformity which includes a COC number. This number may look like: e13*2001/116*0260 where e13 is the UNECE state number (in this case Luxembourg), 2001/116 is the EC/EU directive name.[10]

Electric vehicles

Type approval for electric vehicles is governed by Regulation No 100 of the Economic Commission for Europe of the United Nations (UNECE) –Uniform provisions concerning the approval of battery electric vehicles with regard to specific requirements for the construction, functional safety and hydrogen emission.[11]

See also

References

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Directive 2007/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 September 2007 establishing a framework for the approval of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles (Framework Directive) Text with EEA relevance. EUR-Lex . 9 October 2007. Publications Office of the European Union. 27 September 2009.
  2. Web site: Motor Vehicle Approval Schemes . . 1 April 2009 . 27 September 2009 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090617234922/http://www.nsai.ie/index.cfm/area/page/information/motorvehicleapproval . June 17, 2009 .
  3. Web site: EC Whole Vehicle Type Approval – Introduction. UK Vehicle Certification Agency, Department for Transport. 24 September 2009. 27 September 2009.
  4. Web site: 97/836/EC: Council Decision of 27 November 1997 with a view to accession by the European Community to the Agreement of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe concerning the adoption of uniform technical prescriptions for wheeled vehicles, equipment and parts which can be fitted to and/or be used on wheeled vehicles and the conditions for reciprocal recognition of approvals granted on the basis of these prescriptions ('Revised 1958 Agreement') . EUR-Lex . 24 January 2021.
  5. Web site: Type Approval for Cars. www.vca.gov.uk. 6 October 2009. 31 August 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090831100603/http://www.vca.gov.uk/vehicletype/type-approval-for-ca.asp. dead.
  6. http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/automotive/speeches_presentations/brussels_15052009.pdf
  7. Martins, Henrique Resaffa Nogueira. "Overview of Type Approval Homologation and Self-Certification". ResearchGate. . Accessed 24 January 2021.
  8. Web site: Homologation . ContainerSharing.org . International Car Bridge FZE . 24 January 2021.
  9. Web site: Vehicle Type Approval through VCA worldwide. VCA. 6 October 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20060926195748/http://www.vca.gov.uk/. 26 September 2006. dead.
  10. Web site: Certificate of Conformity (COC) for European Whole Type Approved vehicles .
  11. Web site: EUR-Lex - 42009X0214(01) - EN - EUR-Lex. eur-lex.europa.eu. 24 January 2021.

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