8. The experts of IWG SLR presented an updated proposal for a new 09 series of amendments to UN Regulation No. 48 that introduced revised requirements for headlamp levelling (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRE/2020/8/Rev.3). GRE adopted the technical provisions of the proposal. In view of other proposals on the agenda that could become part of the new 09 series of amendments to UN Regulation No. 48, GRE agreed to address the transitional provisions for the new series under agenda item 6 (a).
21. The Chair summarized that the following draft amendments were adopted at this session and would become part of the draft 09 series of amendments to UN Regulation No. 48:
- Headlamp levelling (paragraph 8 above);
- Device transition (paragraph 11);
- Park condition (paragraph 19);
- Manoeuvring lamps on trailers (paragraph 16);
- Visibility of red light towards the front and/or white light toward the rear (paragraph 18); and
- Transitional provisions (paragraph 20).
22. GRE decided to submit the above proposals for consideration and vote at the March 2024 sessions of WP.29 and AC.1 as a new 09 series of amendments to UN Regulation No. 48. At its next session in October 2023, GRE agreed to editorially confirm these proposals without modifying their substantial content and requirements. To this end, GRE suggested that a consolidated text of the draft 09 series of amendments to UN Regulation No. 48 be prepared.
14. The expert from IWG SLR tabled a revised proposal for a new series of amendments to UN Regulation No. 48 that introduces new requirements for headlamp levelling and allows manual levelling only for off-road vehicles (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRE/2020/8/Rev.2). The expert from Poland suggested amendments for the initial downward inclination (GRE-84-37). The experts from France and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland made further comments.
15. GRE noted diverging positions on the proposed aiming diagram and manual levelling for off-road vehicles. GRE remained optimistic that a consensus could be reached and requested IWG SLR to convene 1-2 additional separate meetings with the aim to reconcile the different positions and to prepare a revised proposal for the next session.
15. The expert of IWG SLR reported on their work on a new series of amendments to UN Regulation No. 48 that introduces new requirements for headlamp levelling (GRE-86-07). GRE noted that IWG SLR was collecting anonymous vehicle levelling data for type approval and for conformity of production, with the aim to prepare an informal proposal for the GRE session in October 2022 and a formal document for the GRE session in April 2023. The expert from IWG SLR also invited those experts, who were not in a position to support the aiming diagram in ECE/TRANS/GRE/2020/8/Rev.2, to submit concrete alternative proposals for consideration.
18. GRE recalled that, at its previous session, it had adopted a new 09 series of amendments to UN Regulation No. 48 and had decided to submit the proposal to the March 2024 session of WP.29, in order to editorially confirm these proposals at the present session.
19. The expert of OICA proposed to extend until 2032 the transitional provisions for heavy commercial vehicles and trailers in the draft 09 series of amendments (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRE/2023/28). GRE was not in a position to support the proposal.
20. The expert of OICA also introduced improvements and clarifications for the new draft 09 series of amendments (GRE-89-18). Following an in-depth discussion, GRE adopted these proposals, as amended, and agreed to merge them with the new draft 09 series of amendments to UN Regulation No. 48.
21. Against this background, GRE noted and endorsed a consolidated text of the draft 09 series of amendments to UN Regulation No. 48 (GRE-89-02-Rev.3) which had been prepared by IWG SLR and compiled the following documents that had been adopted at the present and previous sessions of GRE: ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRE/2020/08/Rev.3, Annex II to ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRE/88, ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRE/2023/13, ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRE/2023/19, ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRE/2023/20, GRE-88-16-Rev.3, GRE-88-18, GRE-88-24, GRE-88-27, GRE-89-04 and GRE-89-18. The proposal would be submitted for consideration and vote at the March 2024 sessions of WP.29 and AC.1.
28. GRE noted that so far IWG SLR had not been able to reconcile different positions on the proposal for headlamp levelling (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRE/2020/8/Rev.2, GRE-85-19, GRE-85-29) and decided to revert to this issue at the next session.
29. Based on a proposal of IWG SLR, GRE continued its deliberations for preparing a new series of amendments to UN Regulation No. 48 with new requirements for headlamp aiming and automatic levelling (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRE/2020/8/Rev.1). The expert from Poland held the view that the justification part contained mistakes and inconsistencies and recalled his earlier proposals on the subject (GRE-83-41). Several experts expressed their support to the IWG SLR proposal.
30. The expert from OICA proposed to keep an option of manual levelling (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRE/2020/23 and GRE-83-31). Some experts supported this option, while others were not in favour.
31. In the absence of a consensus, GRE stressed the need to finalize the issue as soon as possible and requested IWG SLR to take into account the comments made and to prepare a revised working document for the next session, based on the following principles:
- the aiming diagram agreed at the eighty-first session of GRE (Annex II to ECE/TRANS/ WP.29/GRE/81);
- automatic levelling;
- manual levelling, only if a consensus is reached within IWG SLR.
32. The expert from Poland did not agree to that conclusion.
33. GRE instructed IWG SLR to organize a separate meeting on this issue and encouraged all experts of Contracting Parties to participate.
31. The expert from IWG SLR recalled the previous discussions on the aiming diagram in paragraph 6.2.6.1.2. (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRE/81, para. 10 and Annex II) and presented GRE-82-25, which had been prepared in line with the GRE request. The expert from Poland proposed a revised diagram (GRE-82-43). For the diagram in GRE-82-25, the experts from Japan, Poland and the United Kingdom expressed their preference to maintain the 2000 lm criteria for automatic levelling and headlamp cleaning. The experts from Germany and the United Kingdom pointed out the need to consider the aiming tolerance for the purposes of, respectively, Periodic Technical Inspections (PTI) and Conformity of Production (CoP). GRE requested IWG SLR to consider the above elements and to prepare a revised document for the next session of GRE.