World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations
Encyclopedia
The World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations is a working party (WP.29) of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
(UNECE). It is tasked with creating a uniform set of regulations for vehicle design to facilitate international trade.
The forum works on regulations covering vehicle safety, environmental protection
, energy efficiency
and theft
-resistance.
of vehicles and components. When an item is type approved for a regulation by one participating country, then the approval is accepted by all other participating countries.
Originally, the 1958 Agreement allowed participation of ECE member countries only, but in 1995 the agreement was revised to allow non-ECE members to participate.
Most countries, even if not formally participating in the 1958 agreement, recognise the ECE Regulations and either mirror the ECE Regulations' content in their own national requirements, or permit the use and importation of ECE-approved vehicles, or both. The United States
and Canada
are the two significant exceptions; there ECE regulations are generally not recognised and ECE-compliant vehicles and equipment are not authorised for import, sale, or use in the USA.
and reciprocal recognition. Any country that accedes to the 1958 Agreement has authority to test and approve any manufacturer's design of a regulated product, regardless of the country in which that component was produced. Each individual design from each individual manufacturer is counted as one individual type'. Once any acceding country grants a type approval, every other acceding country is obliged to honor that type approval and regard that vehicle or item of motor vehicle equipment as legal for import, sale and use.
Items approved as meeting an ECE Regulation are marked with an E and a number, within in a circle. The number indicates which country approved the item, and other surrounding letters and digits indicate the precise version of the regulation met and the type approval number, respectively.
Although all countries' type approvals are legally equivalent, there are real and perceived differences in the rigour with which the regulations and protocols are applied by different national type approval authorities. Some countries have their own national standards for granting type approvals, which may be more stringent than called for by the ECE regulations themselves. Within the auto parts industry, a German (E1) type approval, for example, is regarded as a measure of insurance against suspicion of poor quality or an undeserved type approval.
, which has its own Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and does not recognise ECE approvals. ECE vehicles and components therefore cannot be imported or exported between the U.S. and most of the rest of the world without appropriate modifications (federalization). Canada
has its own Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, broadly similar to the FMVSS, but Canada does also accept ECE-compliant headlamps and bumpers.
false or improper — i.e., that the vehicle or equipment does not in fact comply — then authorities may conduct tests and, if a noncompliance is found, order a recall and/or other corrective and/or punitive measures. Vehicle and equipment makers are permitted to appeal such penalties by filing petitions for finding of noncompliance inconsequential to safety.
s. The Citroën DS
shown here illustrates the large differences in headlamps during the 1940-1983 era when US regulations required sealed beam
headlamps.
It is not currently possible to produce a single car design that meets both ECE and U.S. requirements, but it is growing easier as both sets of regulations evolve. Given the size of the U.S. vehicle market, and differing marketing
strategies in North America vs. the rest of the world, many manufacturers produce vehicles in three versions: North American, rest-of-world right-hand drive
(RHD) and rest-of-world left-hand-drive (LHD).
(OICA) hosts on its web site the working documents from various United Nations expert groups including World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations.
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe was established in 1947 to encourage economic cooperation among its member states. It is one of five regional commissions under the administrative direction of United Nations headquarters. It has 56 member states, and reports to the UN Economic and...
(UNECE). It is tasked with creating a uniform set of regulations for vehicle design to facilitate international trade.
The forum works on regulations covering vehicle safety, environmental protection
Environmental protection
Environmental protection is a practice of protecting the environment, on individual, organizational or governmental level, for the benefit of the natural environment and humans. Due to the pressures of population and our technology the biophysical environment is being degraded, sometimes permanently...
, energy efficiency
Efficient energy use
Efficient energy use, sometimes simply called energy efficiency, is the goal of efforts to reduce the amount of energy required to provide products and services. For example, insulating a home allows a building to use less heating and cooling energy to achieve and maintain a comfortable temperature...
and theft
Theft
In common usage, theft is the illegal taking of another person's property without that person's permission or consent. The word is also used as an informal shorthand term for some crimes against property, such as burglary, embezzlement, larceny, looting, robbery, shoplifting and fraud...
-resistance.
1958 Agreement
The core of the Forum's work is based around the "1958 Agreement", formally titled "Agreement concerning the adoption of uniform technical prescriptions for wheeled vehicles, equipment and parts which can be fitted and/or be used on wheeled vehicles and the conditions for reciprocal recognition of approvals granted on the basis of these prescriptions". This forms a legal framework whereby participating countries agree a common set of ECE Regulations for type approvalType approval
Type Approval is granted to a product that meets a minimum set of regulatory, technical and safety requirements. Generally, type approval is required before a product is allowed to be sold in a particular country, so the requirements for a given product will vary around the world...
of vehicles and components. When an item is type approved for a regulation by one participating country, then the approval is accepted by all other participating countries.
Originally, the 1958 Agreement allowed participation of ECE member countries only, but in 1995 the agreement was revised to allow non-ECE members to participate.
List of participating countries
, the participants to the 1958 Agreement, with their ECE country code, are:
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Most countries, even if not formally participating in the 1958 agreement, recognise the ECE Regulations and either mirror the ECE Regulations' content in their own national requirements, or permit the use and importation of ECE-approved vehicles, or both. The United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
are the two significant exceptions; there ECE regulations are generally not recognised and ECE-compliant vehicles and equipment are not authorised for import, sale, or use in the USA.
Type approval
The 1958 Agreement operates on the principles of type approvalType approval
Type Approval is granted to a product that meets a minimum set of regulatory, technical and safety requirements. Generally, type approval is required before a product is allowed to be sold in a particular country, so the requirements for a given product will vary around the world...
and reciprocal recognition. Any country that accedes to the 1958 Agreement has authority to test and approve any manufacturer's design of a regulated product, regardless of the country in which that component was produced. Each individual design from each individual manufacturer is counted as one individual type'. Once any acceding country grants a type approval, every other acceding country is obliged to honor that type approval and regard that vehicle or item of motor vehicle equipment as legal for import, sale and use.
Items approved as meeting an ECE Regulation are marked with an E and a number, within in a circle. The number indicates which country approved the item, and other surrounding letters and digits indicate the precise version of the regulation met and the type approval number, respectively.
Although all countries' type approvals are legally equivalent, there are real and perceived differences in the rigour with which the regulations and protocols are applied by different national type approval authorities. Some countries have their own national standards for granting type approvals, which may be more stringent than called for by the ECE regulations themselves. Within the auto parts industry, a German (E1) type approval, for example, is regarded as a measure of insurance against suspicion of poor quality or an undeserved type approval.
List of ECE Regulations
, there are 123 ECE Regulations. Most regulations cover a single vehicle component or technology. A partial list of current regulations applying to passenger cars follows (different regulations may apply to heavy vehicles, motorcycles, etc.)General lighting
- R3 — Retroreflecting devices
- R4 — Illumination of rear registration plates
- R6 — Direction indicators
- R7 — Front and rear position lamps, stop lamps and end-outline marker lamps
- R19 — Front fog lamps
- R23 — Reversing lights
- R37 — Filament lamps (bulbs) (See: Automotive lamp typesAutomotive lamp typesA modern vehicle uses different kinds of lamps for multiple purposes: illumination for the driver to be able to drive in dark conditions, illumination to be seen and lights for information displays. Types of these lamps vary depending on the purpose and different car manufacturers and models use...
) - R38 — Rear fog lamps
- R48 — Installation of lighting and light-signalling devices
- R77 — Parking lamps
- R87 — Daytime running lampDaytime running lampA daytime running lamp is an automotive lighting device on the front of a roadgoing motor vehicle, installed in pairs, automatically switched on when the vehicle is moving forward, emitting white, yellow, or amber light to increase the conspicuity of the vehicle during daylight...
s - R91 — Sidemarker lamps
- R119 — Cornering lamps
- R123 — AFS lamps
Headlamps
- R1 - Headlamps emitting an asymmetrical passing beam and/or a driving beam, equipped with R2 or HS1 bulbs (superseded by R112, but still valid for existing approvals)
- R5 - Sealed Beam headlamps emitting an asymmetrical passing beam and/or a driving beam
- R8 - Headlamps equipped with replaceable single-filament tungsten-halogen bulbs (superseded by R112, but still valid for existing approvals)
- R20 - Headlamps emitting an asymmetrical passing beam and/or a driving beam and equipped with halogen double-filament H4 bulbs (superseded by R112, but still valid for existing approvals)
- R31 — Halogen sealed beam headlamps emitting an asymmetrical passing beam and/or a driving beam
- R45 — Headlamp cleaners
- R98 — Headlamps equipped with gas-discharge light sources
- R99 — Gas-discharge light sources for use in approved gas-discharge lamp units of power-driven vehicles (See: Automotive lamp typesAutomotive lamp typesA modern vehicle uses different kinds of lamps for multiple purposes: illumination for the driver to be able to drive in dark conditions, illumination to be seen and lights for information displays. Types of these lamps vary depending on the purpose and different car manufacturers and models use...
) - R112 — Headlamps emitting an asymmetrical passing beam and/or a driving beam and equipped with filament bulbs
- R113 — Headlamps emitting a symmetrical passing beam and/or a driving beam and equipped with filament bulbs
Instrumentation/controls
- R35 — arrangement of foot controls
- R39 — speedometer equipment
- R46 — rear-view mirrors
- R79 — steering equipment
Crashworthiness
- R11 — door latches and door retention components
- R13-H — brakingBrakeA brake is a mechanical device which inhibits motion. Its opposite component is a clutch. The rest of this article is dedicated to various types of vehicular brakes....
(passenger cars) - R14 — safety beltSeat beltA seat belt or seatbelt, sometimes called a safety belt, is a safety harness designed to secure the occupant of a vehicle against harmful movement that may result from a collision or a sudden stop...
anchorages - R16 — safety beltsSeat beltA seat belt or seatbelt, sometimes called a safety belt, is a safety harness designed to secure the occupant of a vehicle against harmful movement that may result from a collision or a sudden stop...
and restraint systems - R17 — Seats, seat anchorages, head restraints
- R27 — advance-warning triangles
- R42 — front and rear protective devices (bumpers, etc.)
- R43 — safety glazing materials ((and their installation on vehicles
- R94 — protection of the occupants in the event of a frontal collision
- R95 — protection of the occupants in the event of a lateral collision
- R116 — protection of motor vehicles against unauthorized use
Environmental compatibility
- R10 — electromagnetic compatibility
- R24 — Engine power measurement, smoke emissions, engine type approval
- R51 — noise emissions
- R68 — measurement of the maximum speed
- R83 — emission of pollutants according to engine fuel requirements
- R84 — measurement of fuel consumption
- R85 — electric drive trains — measurement of the net power and the maximum 30 minutes power of electric drive trains
- R100 — approval of battery electric vehicleBattery electric vehicleA battery electric vehicle, or BEV, is a type of electric vehicle that uses chemical energy stored in rechargeable battery packs. BEVs use electric motors and motor controllers instead of, or in addition to, internal combustion engines for propulsion.A battery-only electric vehicle or...
s with regard to specific requeriments for the construction, Functional SafetyFunctional SafetyFunctional Safety is the part of the overall safety of a system or piece of equipment that depends on the system or equipment operating correctly in response to its inputs, including the safe management of likely operator errors, hardware failures and environmental changes.- Objective of Functional...
and hydrogen emission. - R101 — measurement of the emission of carbon dioxide and fuel consumption
- R117 — rolling sound emissions of tyres
North America
The most notable non-signatory to the 1958 Agreement is the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, which has its own Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and does not recognise ECE approvals. ECE vehicles and components therefore cannot be imported or exported between the U.S. and most of the rest of the world without appropriate modifications (federalization). Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
has its own Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, broadly similar to the FMVSS, but Canada does also accept ECE-compliant headlamps and bumpers.
Self-certification
Rather than an ECE-style system of type approvals, the US and Canadian auto safety regulations operate on the principle of self-certification, wherein the manufacturer or importer of a vehicle or item of motor vehicle equipment certifies — i.e., asserts and promises — that the vehicle or equipment complies with all applicable Federal or Canada Motor Vehicle Safety, bumper and antitheft standards. No prior verification is required by a governmental agency or authorised testing entity before the vehicle or equipment can be imported, sold, or used. If reason develops to believe the certification wasfalse or improper — i.e., that the vehicle or equipment does not in fact comply — then authorities may conduct tests and, if a noncompliance is found, order a recall and/or other corrective and/or punitive measures. Vehicle and equipment makers are permitted to appeal such penalties by filing petitions for finding of noncompliance inconsequential to safety.
Regulatory differences
One of the biggest differences between ECE and U.S. regulations is the design and performance of headlampHeadlamp
A headlamp is a lamp, usually attached to the front of a vehicle such as a car or a motorcycle, with the purpose of illuminating the road ahead during periods of low visibility, such as darkness or precipitation. Headlamp performance has steadily improved throughout the automobile age, spurred by...
s. The Citroën DS
Citroën DS
The Citroën DS is an executive car produced by the French manufacturer Citroën between 1955 and 1975. Styled by Italian sculptor and industrial designer Flaminio Bertoni and the French aeronautical engineer André Lefèbvre, the DS was known for its aerodynamic futuristic body design and innovative...
shown here illustrates the large differences in headlamps during the 1940-1983 era when US regulations required sealed beam
Sealed beam
A sealed beam is a type of lamp that includes a reflector and filament as a single assembly, over which a front cover of clear glass, is permanently attached. Previously, automotive headlamps used a separate small bulb and reflector covered with a ribbed lens to avoid glare from the filament. This...
headlamps.
It is not currently possible to produce a single car design that meets both ECE and U.S. requirements, but it is growing easier as both sets of regulations evolve. Given the size of the U.S. vehicle market, and differing marketing
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
strategies in North America vs. the rest of the world, many manufacturers produce vehicles in three versions: North American, rest-of-world right-hand drive
Driving on the left or right
The terms right-hand traffic and left-hand traffic refer to regulations requiring all bidirectional traffic to keep either to the right or the left side of the road, respectively. This is so fundamental to traffic flow that it is sometimes referred to as the rule of the road. This basic rule eases...
(RHD) and rest-of-world left-hand-drive (LHD).
OICA
Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d'AutomobilesOrganisation Internationale des Constructeurs d'Automobiles
The Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d'Automobiles, commonly abbreviated OICA , is a federation of automobile manufacturers, based in Paris, founded in 1919...
(OICA) hosts on its web site the working documents from various United Nations expert groups including World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations.
See also
- Automotive lightingAutomotive lightingThe lighting system of a motor vehicle consists of lighting and signalling devices mounted or integrated to the front, sides, rear, and in some cases the top of the motor vehicle...
- Car safetyCar safetyAutomobile safety is the study and practice of vehicle design, construction, and equipment to minimize the occurrence and consequences of automobile accidents. Automobile safety is the study and practice of vehicle design, construction, and equipment to minimize the occurrence and consequences of...
- Headlamps
- List of variations in traffic light signalling and operation
- Not Invented HereNot Invented HereNot invented here is a term used to describe persistent social, corporate, or institutional culture that avoids using or buying already existing products, research, standards, or knowledge because of their external origins. It is normally used in a pejorative sense, and may be considered an...
syndrome - U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationNational Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationThe National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is an agency of the Executive Branch of the U.S. government, part of the Department of Transportation...
- Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108 regulates all automotive lighting, signalling and reflective devices in the United States. Like all other Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, FMVSS 108 is administered by the United States Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety...
- Vehicle regulationVehicle regulation- Existing regulations :Detroit automakers say that CAFE did not work to reduce fuel consumption. They point out that the price of oil was spiking in the late 1970s and early 1980s, at the same time that CAFE was being implemented, and that therefore fuel economy would haveincreased anyway...