The term ‘L-category vehicles’ covers a wide range of light vehicle types with two, three or four wheels, e.g. powered cycles, two- and three-wheel mopeds, two- and three-wheel motorcycles, motorcycles with side-cars and light four-wheel vehicles (quadricycles) such as on-road quads, all-terrain quads and quadrimobiles.

Regulation (EU) No 168/2013 provides for the possibility of applying regulations of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) for the purpose of EU whole vehicle type-approval. Under that Regulation, type-approval in accordance with UNECE regulations which apply on a compulsory basis is regarded as EU type-approval.

Therefore, Regulation (EU) No 168/2013 provides for the repeal of several directives concerning the approval of L-category vehicles, their systems, components and separate technical units intended for those vehicles in the areas of environmental and propulsion unit performance requirements. For the purposes of EU type-approval those directives should be replaced first with the provisions of this Regulation. On the long term, when the revisiting process at the level of the UN is finished, equivalent UNECE regulations will be available, which then will allow to replace the text of this Regulation with making reference to those UNECE regulations.

The Euro 4 and 5 environmental steps are such measures designed to reduce emissions of particulate matter and ozone precursors such as nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons. A considerable reduction in hydrocarbon emissions from L-category vehicles is necessary to improve air quality and comply The exhaust system which is granted system type-approval with limit values for pollution, not only directly to significantly reduce the disproportionately high hydrocarbon tailpipe and evaporative emissions from these vehicles, but also to help reduce volatile particle levels in urban areas and possibly also smog.

One of the measures against excessive hydrocarbon emissions from L-category vehicles is to limit the evaporative emissions to the hydrocarbon mass limits laid down in Annex VI(C) to Regulation (EU) No 168/2013. For this purpose, a type IV test has to be conducted at type-approval in order to measure the evaporative emissions of a vehicle. One of the requirements of the type IV Sealed House evaporative Emission Determination (SHED) test is to fit either a rapidly aged carbon canister or alternatively to apply an additive deterioration factor when fitting a degreened carbon canister. It will be investigated in the environmental effect study referred to in Article 23(4) of Regulation (EU) No 168/2013 whether or not it is cost effective to maintain this deterioration factor as alternative to fitting a representative and rapidly aged carbon canister. If the result of the study demonstrates that this method is not cost-effective a proposal will follow in due course to delete this alternative and should become applicable beyond the Euro 5 step.

A standardised method for measuring vehicles’ energy efficiency (fuel or energy consumption, carbon dioxide emissions as well as electric range) is necessary to ensure that no technical barriers to trade arise between Member States and also to ensure that customers and users are supplied with objective and precise information.

The methods for measuring propulsion unit performance including the maximum design vehicle speed, maximum torque and maximum continuous total power of L-category vehicles may differ from one Member State to the next, this might constitute barriers to trade within the Union. Therefore, it is necessary to draw up harmonised requirements for methods for measuring the propulsion unit performance of L-category vehicles in order to enable the approval of vehicles, systems, components or separate technical units to be applied for each type of such vehicle.

Functional safety or environmental requirements call for restrictions on tampering with certain types of L-category vehicles. In order to avoid obstacles to servicing and maintenance by vehicle owners, such restrictions should be strictly limited to tampering which significantly modifies the environmental and propulsion unit performance of the vehicle and functional safety in a harmful way. As harmful tampering of the vehicle’s powertrain affects both the environmental and functional safety performance, the detailed requirements regarding propulsion unit performance and noise abatement set out in this Regulation should also be used as reference for enforcement of powertrain tampering prevention.

Part A of Annex V to Regulation (EU) No 168/2013 makes reference to the 8 test types that allow assessment of the environmental performance of the L-category vehicle to be approved. It is appropriate to set out detailed test requirements in this delegated act as well as to amend Annex V (A) of Regulation (EU) No 168/2013 by linking the test limits agreed by Council and the European Parliament with detailed test procedures and technical requirements set out in this Regulation. A reference to the detailed test procedures and requirements set out in this Regulation should be inserted into Part A of Annex V to Regulation (EU) No 168/2013 by means of the amendments set out in Annex XII of this Regulation.