GAR | GRSP/2026/4

GRSP/2026/4

GTR 20: Proposal for an Amendment 2

Source(s)

Date

19 Mar 2026

Status

Formal GR review

Subject

GTR No. 20 Electric Vehicle Safety

Meeting(s)

GRSP | Session 79 | 1-5 Jun

Agenda item 4. UN Global Technical Regulation No. 20 (Electric vehicle safety)

Proposal to amend UN Global Technical Regulation No. 20 on electric vehicle safety, focusing on thermal propagation triggered by single-cell thermal runaway. The amendment introduces two compliance paths: a physical test approach with five initiation methods (external heater, internal heaters, nail penetration, laser-based initiation) performed at vehicle or component level; and a risk management approach requiring manufacturers to document known risks and mitigation strategies. Vehicles must provide advance warning 5 minutes before hazardous conditions (fire, explosion, smoke) occur in the passenger compartment. Phase 2 discussions concluded that water immersion tests, long-term fire resistance tests, REESS rotation tests, vibration profile modifications, AC/DC charging protections, and heavy-duty overcurrent tests do not require regulatory inclusion based on available field evidence and safety analysis.

Downloads

UNECE server

Related documents

Excerpts from session reports

GRSP | Session 79 | 1-5 Jun

8. The expert from the European Commission informed GRSP of the latest developments regarding the informal working group on electric vehicle safety (IWG-EVS) (informal document GRSP-79-33). The group had finished its discussions on the proposal for an amendment 1 to UN GTR No. 20 in December 25, it had received authorisation to start work on a phase 3 of its work from WP.29 and AC.3 on March 2026 and was now seeking final endorsement of the proposal for amendment (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRSP/2026/4) and the final status report (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRSP/2026/3) from GRSP.

9. The expert from France presented informal document GRSP-79-32 seeking to amend the final status report to include a mention of future work on V2X technologies (the use of the traction batteries to cover external power and energy demands). After some discussion, the experts from France, Japan and EC submitted a revised proposal (informal document GRSP-79-32-Rev.1).

10. GRSP endorsed ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRSP/2026/3 (as amended by informal document GRSP-79-32-Rev.1) and ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRSP/2026/4, and requested the secretariat to submit them as proposals for a final status report and an amendment 1 to UN GTR No. 20 to the November 2026 sessions of WP.29 and AC.3.