http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/eur/2016/427

Commission Regulation (EU) 2016/427

of 10 March 2016

amending Regulation (EC) No 692/2008 as regards emissions from light passenger and commercial vehicles (Euro 6)

(Text with EEA relevance)

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

Having regard to Regulation (EC) No 715/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2007 on type-approval of motor vehicles with respect to emissions from light passenger and commercial vehicles (Euro 5 and Euro 6) and on access to vehicle repair and maintenance information1, and in particular Article 5(3) thereof,

Whereas:

(1)

Regulation (EC) No 715/2007 requires the Commission to keep under review the procedures, tests and requirements for type-approval that are set out in Commission Regulation (EC) No 692/20082 and to adjust them so that they adequately reflect the emissions generated by real driving on the road, if necessary.

(2)

The Commission has performed a detailed analysis in this respect on the basis of own research and external information and found that emissions generated by real driving on the road of Euro 5/6 vehicles substantially exceed the emissions measured on the regulatory new European driving cycle (NEDC), in particular with respect to NO_x emissions of diesel vehicles.

(3)

Type-approval emission requirements for motor vehicles have been tightened significantly through the introduction and subsequent revision of Euro standards. While vehicles in general have delivered substantial emission reductions across the range of regulated pollutants, this is not true of NO_x emissions from diesel engines (especially light-duty vehicles). Actions for correcting this situation are therefore needed. Addressing the problem of NO_x emissions from diesel engines should contribute to decrease the current sustained high levels of NO₂ concentrations in ambient air, which are particularly related to those emissions and are a major concern regarding human health, as well as a challenge regarding compliance with Directive 2008/50/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council3.

(4)

The Commission has established in January 2011 a working group involving all interested stakeholders for developing a real driving emission (RDE) test procedure better reflecting emissions measured on the road. For this purpose the technical option suggested in Regulation (EC) No 715/2007, i.e. the use of portable emission measurement systems (PEMS) and not-to-exceed (NTE) regulatory concepts has been followed.

(5)

In order to allow manufacturers gradually to adapt to the RDE requirements, the respective test procedures should be introduced in two phases as agreed with stakeholders in the Cars 2020 process4: during a first transitional period the test procedures should only be applied for monitoring purposes, while afterwards they should be applied together with binding quantitative RDE requirements to all new type-approvals/new vehicles. The final quantitative RDE requirements will be introduced in two subsequent steps.

(6)

Quantitative RDE requirements should be established in order to limit tailpipe emissions under all normal conditions of use pursuant to the emission limits set out in Regulation (EC) No 715/2007. For that purpose statistical and technical uncertainties of the measurement procedures should be taken into account.

(7)

An individual RDE test at the initial type-approval cannot cover the full range of relevant traffic and ambient conditions. Therefore in-service-conformity testing is of utmost importance for ensuring that a widest possible range of such conditions is covered by a regulatory RDE test, thereby providing for compliance with the regulatory requirements under all normal conditions of use.

(8)

For small-volume manufacturers the execution of PEMS tests according to the envisaged procedural requirements may constitute a significant burden that is not in balance with the expected environmental benefit. It is therefore appropriate to allow for some specific exemptions for those manufacturers. Real driving emissions test procedure should be updated and improved if necessary to reflect, e.g., changes in vehicle technology. To assist the revision procedure, vehicle and emissions data obtained during the transitional period should be considered.

(9)

In order to allow approval authorities and manufacturers to put in place the necessary procedures to comply with the requirements of this Regulation, it should apply from 1 January 2016.

(10)

It is therefore appropriate to amend Regulation (EC) No 692/2008 accordingly.

(11)

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Technical Committee — Motor Vehicles,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: