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The draft UN Regulation builds on the Global Technical Regulation for WLTP adopted by the World Forum in 2015, adding administrative provisions, conformity of production, durability and pollutant emission limits.

Vehicles approved for mutual recognition under the 1958 Agreement will need to meet stringent emission limits and in-use emissions performance.

Consumers need to be confident in car manufacturers’ emissions information when choosing which new model to buy. UNECE will make it easier for countries around the world to implement state of the art emissions test procedures with a new UN Regulation featuring the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Procedure (WLTP).

Towards a single type approval for major markets

The draft UN Regulation was endorsed on 17 January by the Working Party on Pollution and Energy (GRPE). It will now be submitted to the World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulation (WP.29) for adoption at its next meeting in June 2020, and entry into force in January 2021.

Once in force, the majority of cars sold worldwide will comply with some of the most stringent emissions requirements in the world.

Vehicle manufacturers will then be able to acquire a single approval for all major markets adopting this regulation – the 53 countries that are signatories to the 1958 Agreement as well as other countries which unilaterally adopt UN Regulations.

The draft UN Regulation builds on the Global Technical Regulation for WLTP adopted by the World Forum in 2015, adding administrative provisions, conformity of production, durability and pollutant emission limits.

Vehicles approved for mutual recognition under the 1958 Agreement will need to meet stringent emission limits for hydrocarbons (HC), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM).

This will ensure that emissions remain under the set limits whether the vehicle is driven in urban (Low phase), rural (Medium and High phases) or highway (Extra high phase) environments.

Ensuring long-lasting environmental performance

The new UN Regulation will also include stringent procedures to ensure that mass-produced vehicles maintain the same environmental performance. Furthermore, a specific accelerated ageing test will be introduced to guarantee that new vehicles’ pollution control devices remain fully effective up to 160,000 km.

A complete regulatory package to ensure real world robustness

GRPE is actively working to complement this new UN Regulation on WLTP with a globally-agreed Real Driving Emissions (RDE) test. This will introduce procedures to test vehicles in real life conditions on public roads, to demonstrate real world compliance in addition to the WLTP test performed in controlled conditions in laboratories.

André Rijnders, Chair of GRPE, commented: “the on-going activities on RDE will complement the UN Regulation on WLTP to form the world’s most ambitious global emission test package”.

Source: UNECE