1. The Working Party on Noise (GRB) held its sixty-seventh session from 24 to 26 January 2018 in Geneva. The meeting was chaired by Mr. S. Ficheux (France). Experts from the following countries participated in the work following Rule 1(a) of the Rules of Procedure of the World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations (WP.29) (TRANS/WP.29/690/Rev.1): China, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey. Experts from the European Commission (EC) participated. Experts from the following non-governmental organizations also participated: European Association of Automotive Suppliers (CLEPA), European Tyre and Rim Technical Organization (ETRTO), Motorcycle Manufacturers Association (IMMA), International Organization for Standardization (ISO), International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers (OICA) and World Blind Union (WBU).

2. GRB considered and adopted the agenda. The list of informal documents is contained in Annex I of the session report. The list of GRB informal groups is reproduced in Annex IV.

GRB/2018/1 | Annotated provisional agenda for the 67th (January 2018) GRB session

3. No issues were considered under this agenda item.

4. The expert from EC reported on the progress of the study on Euro 5 sound level limits of L-category vehicles (GRB-67-13), including a cost-benefit analysis (CBA). According to him, the study identified a potential for reducing sound limits of L-category vehicles. The expert of IMMA was of the view that the study did not properly address a wide variety of vehicles and that lowering the sound limits for type approval would not solve the main issue: single vehicles creating a high noise level (GRB-67-16-Rev.1).

5. The experts from Germany, Netherlands and Spain posed questions about the study assumptions and pointed out that the proposed policy measures would not tackle illegal aftermarket products (silencers) that were the heart of the problem. The Chair invited EC to take into consideration the comments received and to work closely with Contracting Parties, IMMA and other stakeholders with a view to proposing tangible solutions.

GRB-67-13 | Study on Euro 5 sound level limits of L-category vehicles: progress and CBA results

GRB-67-16/Rev.1 | IMMA comments on the EC Euro 5 L-Category vehicle sound level study

6. The expert of Japan informed GRB about the ongoing internal discussions on the limit values in the 04 series of amendments to Regulation No. 41, the outcome of which would be shared with GRB.

7. The expert of IMMA withdrew GRB-67-12.

GRB-67-12 | UN R41: Proposal for amendments to the 04 series of amendments Proposal to clarify under para. 2.2.3 the conditions under which multiple exhaust versions’ results may be listed on a single R41 approval certificate. The current text may be strictly interpreted as requiring separate certification for every possible configuration, such as differences in exhaust systems, intakes or engine displacements. The proposal aims to improve efficiency and effectiveness of type approval procedures.

8. The expert from ISO presented revised proposals that introduced into Regulation No. 51 an option of indoor testing, according to standard ISO 362-3 (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRB/2018/3). This proposal received comments from the experts of China, France (GRB-67-11), Germany, Netherlands, Russian Federation (GRB-67-01), Sweden and OICA. Following an in-depth discussion, GRB adopted the proposals, as amended (Annex II of the session report), and requested the secretariat to submit them to the World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations (WP.29) and to the Administrative Committee (AC.1) for consideration and vote at their June 2018 sessions as a draft Supplement 4 to the 03 series of amendments to Regulation No. 51.

GRB-67-01/Rev.1 | UN R51: Proposal for additional amendments regarding indoor test methods Proposal of amendments for inclusion with the proposals on indoor testing in document GRB/2018/3.

GRB-67-11 | Presentation on indoor pass-by noise testing

GRB/2018/3 | Proposal for Supplement 4 to the 03 series of amendments to Regulation No. 51 Proposal including indoor testing as an alternative to type approval tests of Annex 3 to Regulation No. 51 including ISO 362-3.

9. GRB recalled the amendment proposals to Regulation No. 51 adopted at the previous session (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2018/7) and addressed the pending issue on whether or not the adopted proposals would require a new series of amendments and/or transitional provisions. The experts from the Informal Working Group on Additional Sound Emission Provisions (IWG ASEP) and from OICA presented their views (GRB-67-14 and GRB-67-06). GRB agreed that the adopted proposals should become a new Supplement 3 to the 03 series of amendments to Regulation No. 51 and be accompanied with the following transitional provision (a new paragraph 11.9.):

“11.9.

Until 18 months after the date of entry into force of the Supplement 3, it shall not apply to extensions of existing approvals, originally granted prior to the date of entry into force of Supplement 3.”

10. GRB requested the secretariat to issue, as soon as possible, an addendum to ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2018/7 with the above text, thus allowing Contracting Parties to prepare for its consideration at the forthcoming session of WP.29 in March 2018.

GRB-67-06 | UN R51: Proposal to corrigendum to Supplement 3 to the 03 series of amendments

GRB-67-14 | UN R51: Proposal for a corrigendum to the draft Supplement 3 to the 03 series ASEP II informal group proposal to correct documents WP.29/2018/7 and GRB-67-06 regarding Supplement 3 to the 03 series of amendments to Regulation No. 51.

WP.29/2018/7 | UN R51: Proposal for Supplement 3 to the 03 series of amendments Extensive changes to UN R51 as developed mainly by the informal working group on Additional Sound Emission Provisions (ASEP II), but including further proposals submitted through GRB. All of these proposals were consolidated by GRB during its September 2017 session in Annex II to the session report. GRB intends to hold a final review of the changes, including whether they constitute a new series of amendments, during its January 2018 session, (i.e., prior to the March 2018 WP.29 session that will consider this document). The draft changes include proposals to<ol class="alpha"><li>amend the scope to be design-neutral and reflect the driving situations covered by the Regulation;</li><li>highlight that ASEP apply to vehicles and their electric sound enhancement systems such as the Audible Vehicle Alert System (AVAS) and silencers equipped with an active cancelling system</li><li>update the "backfire" assessment procedure; and</li><li>clarify the gear ratio anchor point in Annex 7 as defined via Annex 3</li><li>Paragraph 1: The scope was originally drafted for the Annex 3 test which refers to normal urban driving. A proposed additional sentence covers the intention of Annex 7.</li><li>Paragraph 2.8.1.: Adopt the wording from standard ISO 362-1:2015 for clarity. If an electric motor is not operational during the type approval tests, then its power must not contribute to the calculation of the power to mass ratio (PMR).</li><li>Paragraph 2.24., table: Amendments regarding paragraph 2.2.7.4. of Annex 3 because paragraph 2.2.7.4. is new. Amendments also for line BB’ to reflect that the measurement will not end after line BB’. For the speeds vAA’, vBB’ and vPP’, a wrong reference coming from ISO was corrected.</li><li>Paragraph 2.27.: A new definition of “kickdown” was introduced since this term is used in this Regulation. With a large variety of products, it is unclear what "kickdown" exactly means. This definition is a design neutral approach and reflects the intention of Annex 3 and Annex 7.</li><li>Paragraph 2.28.: Prevention of downshift is a legal measure to ensure that the vehicle can be tested within the test conditions as specified by this Regulation.</li><li>Paragraph 3.3.: Deletion of meaningless sentence given the requirement that the vehicles have to be loaded in order to be able to achieve the urban driving conditions as described in paragraph 3.1.2.2. of Annex 3. The sentence has similarly already been deleted in Regulation (EU) No. 540/2014.</li><li>Paragraph 6.2.3.: Amend paragraph 11.6 to exempt vehicles with a serial hybrid drive train until July 2022 from ASEP since these vehicles do not have the internal combustion engine running within the control range of Annex 7 and therefore cannot yield valid test results.</li><li>Annex 1, Appendix 1: For the test method according to 3.1.2.1 the pre-acceleration length may differ per gear ratio. In this case, it is necessary to report the pre-acceleration length per gear ratio.</li><li>Annex 1, Appendix 2: Missing elements of the information document have been added, namely "0.2. type" and "3.2.6. pressure charger(s)".</li><li>Annex 3, paragraph 2.1.: Lower temperatures will lead to slightly higher test results due to an increased tyre rolling sound. Thus, testing at lower temperatures will be a disadvantage for the manufacturer. If for practical reasons the manufacturer wishes to carry out tests at lower temperatures, this shall be accepted by the type approval authority.</li><li>Annex 3, paragraph 2.2.1.: For M1 and N1, the current provision has led to ambiguities about its meaning. The proposed new sentence clarifies the meaning. Further, the tolerances are broadened, as research shows, that the impact of the test mass can be neglected in a wide range. For M2, M3, N2 and N3, the current provision has led to ambiguities about its meaning. The proposed new sentence clarifies the meaning. If the test mass of the vehicle is equal to the target mass, the target mass shall be achieved with a tolerance of ±5 per cent according to equation (2) in paragraph 2.2.7.1. of Annex 3. Consequently this has to be valid also for the test mass mt. If the test mass of the vehicle is lower than the target mass according to equation (12) and (13) in paragraph 2.2.7.1. of Annex 3, the test mass shall be achieved with a tolerance of ±5 per cent. Concerning M2 and M3, for clarification and to avoid misunderstanding, the loading conditions for complete vehicles of category M2 (M > 3,500 kg) and M3 were aligned with the requirements for incomplete vehicles of category M2 (M > 3,500 kg) and M3. As a consequence, vehicles of category M2 (M ≤ 3,500 kg) have to be added to the table and their test mass requirement has to be aligned with those of vehicles of category M1 and N1.</li><li>Annex 3, paragraph 2.2.6.: add conditioning provisions for exhaust systems containing fibrous materials,</li><li>Annex 3, paragraph 2.2.7.1.: See the above justification for M2, M3, N2 and N3 in paragraph 2.2.1. </li><li>Annex 3, paragraph 2.2.7.4.: If a manufacturer does not produce vehicles with two axles only, he is not able to calculate the right test mass for his vehicles with more than two axles. For calculating the test mass, a vehicle with two axles has to be put on a scale to measure the unladen front axle load, mfa load unladen, and the unladen rear axle load, mra load unladen, for being able to calculate munladen as given in formula (3) of paragraph 2.2.7.1. of Annex 3. In addition, a new paragraph provides a procedure for calculating the test mass of a virtual vehicles with two axles, based on an existing vehicle with more than two axles, when a vehicle with two axles is physically not available to be put on a scale.</li><li>Annex 3, paragraph 3.1.2.1.: Proposal to extend the measurement to a position where misfiring is detectable. A redundant sentence is deleted per paragraph 2.2.4.</li><li>Annex 3, paragraph 3.1.2.1.4.1.(d): Clarify gear usage where one gear ratio is above 2 m/s² and the other below a_urban.</li><li>Annex 3, paragraph 3.1.2.1.4.1.: Clarify the proper setup for testing for vehicles with very short gear ratios.</li><li>Annex 3, paragraph 3.1.2.1.4.3.: Introduction of specifications for vehicles with only one gear ratio.</li><li>Annex 3, paragraph 3.1.2.1.5.: Simplify testing. With a fixed vehicle length, it is not necessary to adjust the test equipment (light barriers, pylons) for each vehicle.</li><li>Annex 3, paragraph 3.1.2.2.1..: Clarify the gear ratio selection procedures,</li><li>Annex 3, paragraph 3.2.3.: Reference correction</li><li>Annex 3, paragraph 3.2.5.3.: Reference correction</li><li>Annex 4, paragraph 1.: The performance of the fibrous material can be checked by completely removing the fibrous material. This reintroduces an option removed when Annex 5 of the 02 series of amendments was revised.</li><li>Annex 6, paragraph 2.1.: Proposal to simplify and clarify CoP. During the conformity of production procedures, neither the vehicle nor tyres will have a proper preconditioning. In many cases, the vehicles are foiled and parts may be missing as theft protection. It is very unlikely that the vehicles will have already the same performance as the type approval vehicle. This provision adopts the specifications from the revised ASEP provisions (Informal document GRB-65-26, Annex 7, para. 1). In addition, the range of masses was broadened in the same way as proposed for type approval. </li><li>Annex 6, paragraph 3.: Reference correction.</li></ol>

WP.29/2018/7/Add.1 | UN R51: Addendum to the proposal for Supplement 3 to the 03 series of amendments Proposal to include the following transitional provision, "Until 18 months after the date of entry into force of the Supplement 3, it shall not apply to extensions of existing approvals, originally granted prior to the date of entry into force of Supplement 3." This document was submitted after the WP.29 filing deadline in order to reflect recent developments. At its September 2017 session, GRB adopted a draft Supplement 3 to the 03 series of amendments to UN Regulation No. 51 and requested the secretariat to submit this proposal to the March 2018 session of WP.29. This was done in December 2017 (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2018/7). At its next session in January 2018, GRB reviewed the proposal and decided to complement it with a new provision. The secretariat was requested to submit the modification as an addendum to the original WP.29 document (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2018/7/Add.1).

11. The expert from OICA proposed amendments to Regulation No. 51 with the aim to ensure transparency during the type approval process in situations where the manufacturer could either use mechanical or electronic devices to control the gear shift, or take measures to avoid accelerations greater than 2.0 m/s² (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRB/2018/2 and GRB-67-17). The proposal received questions and/or comments from the experts of China, France, Germany, Japan and ISO. GRB adopted the proposals, as contained in Annex III to the session report, and requested the secretariat to submit them to WP.29 and AC.1 for consideration and vote at their June 2018 sessions as a draft Supplement 4 to the 03 series of amendments to Regulation No. 51.

GRB-67-17 | UN R51: Proposal for amendments to GRB/2018/2 Pursuant to the GRB-67 discussions, OICA proposes to restrict the application of the partial load driving to pure electric vehicles in order to facilitate adoption of document GRB/2018/2 while allowing the ASEP informal group to further consider the proposed formulas for the ASEP anchor point.

GRB/2018/2 | Proposal for Supplement 4 to the 03 series of amendments to Regulation No. 51 UN R51 allows the use mechanical or electronic devices to control the gear shifting and measures to avoid accelerations greater than 2.0 m/s². However, the measures are not defined and the manufacturer or technical service is not obliged to document the methodology in the test report. This proposal would introduce a table with examples for devices and measures for reference and would require documentation of methodology used.

12. The expert from China presented suggestions for further development of Regulation No. 51 (GRB-67-07). The expert from France, Chair of IWG ASEP, pointed out that IWG ASEP would try to accommodate these suggestions.

GRB-67-07 | Suggestions for the development of UN R51

13. On behalf of IWG ASEP, the expert from France presented their status report to GRB (GRB-67-15-Rev.1) and invited all GRB experts to participate in the work of IWG ASEP.

GRB-67-15/Rev.1 | Status report of the ASEP II informal group to GRB-67

14. The expert from EC introduced revised amendments on powered cycles (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRB/2018/4). GRB adopted the proposals and requested the secretariat to submit them to WP.29 and AC.1 for consideration and vote at their June 2018 sessions as a draft Supplement 4 to the 02 series of amendments to Regulation No. 63.

GRB/2018/4 | Proposal for a Supplement to Regulation No. 63 Proposal to exclude pure electric vehicles, including vehicles with auxiliary electric propulsion, from the scope of the regulation, to include sound-level measurement conditions for powered cycles equipped with compressed air engine and to introduce sound-level limits for powered cycles.

15. The expert from ETRTO assessed the latest proposals from the Netherlands for stricter tyre noise limits, as presented at the sixty-sixth session of GRB (GRB-67-08). He pointed out some limitations in the data subset used in the Dutch study and questioned the methodology used to derive the new proposed limits from the data subset. The expert from the Netherlands replied to the ETRTO comments (GRB-67-18).

16. The experts from Germany and OICA pointed out that the Dutch study had been based on tyre labels which might be incorrect. The expert from the Russian Federation drew the attention of GRB to the need for a holistic approach to the tyre rolling noise in the system “tyre/road surface”. The Chair noted two different approaches for tyre selection by the Netherlands and ETRTO: the Dutch study focused on the most popular tyres of several brands covering about 90 per cent of the market, while ETRTO was concerned about a much wider selection of brands to ensure market choice.

17. GRB invited the Netherlands, ETRTO and other stakeholders to work together with the aim to undertake a holistic study of tyres on the market. Finally, GRB agreed to resume the discussion at the next session.

GRB-66-03 | Proposal for amendments to the 02 series of amendments to Regulation No. 117 Proposal to increase the stringency of tyre noise limits starting from 1 November 2020.

GRB-67-08 | UN R117: Assessment of the Netherlands proposal

GRB-67-18 | UN R117: Response to the ETRTO comments on the proposal for stricter tyre noise limits

18. The expert from OICA proposed to clarify the application of the 01 series of amendments to Regulation No. 138 (GRB-67-09). The experts from China, France, Germany, OICA and WBU commented on the proposal. The secretariat pointed out that it had already rectified the text of paragraph 6.2.6. which had been incorrectly reproduced in a revised consolidated version published on the WP.29 website (E/ECE/324/Rev.2/Add.137/Rev.1 − E/ECE/TRANS/505/Rev.2/Add.137/Rev.1). GRB invited OICA to take into account the comments received and to prepare an official document for consideration at the next session. GRB also requested that the earlier OICA proposals for transitional provisions (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRB/2017/7) be included into this new document.

GRB-67-09 | UN R138: Proposal for Supplement 2 to the 01 series of amendments Proposal to<ol class="alpha"><li>clarify that the speed range of 0-20 km/h applies to UN R138, but does not preclude the AVAS from operating a speeds above 20 km/h (para. 6.2);</li><li>delete subparagraphs under para. 6.2.6. that should have been removed when the 01 series of amendments prohibited driver-operated pause functions;</li><li>split the specifications for para. "2.2. Meteorological conditions" under Annex 3 to address indoor and outdoor testing separately for clarity and to avoid unnecessary requirements in each case.</li></ol>

GRB/2017/7 | Proposal for a new Supplement to the 01 series of amendments of Regulation No. 138 Proposal to align the transitional provisions in the 01 series of amendments with the format introduced following Revision 3 of the 1958 Agreement.

WP.29/2017/107 | Draft General Guidelines for United Nations regulatory procedures and transitional provisions in UN Regulations Proposal from the IWVTA informal group to supersede the current guidelines for regulatory procedures and transitional provisions for UN Regulations (document WP.29/1044 and its Revision 1) with updated general guidelines for establishing or amending UN Regulations, including for the definition of scope, administrative and transitional provisions, use of alternative requirements, and cross-referencing with other regulations. This proposal aims to <ol class="alpha"><li>Streamline future work without superseding provisions of the 1958 Agreement and the existing UN Regulations,</li><li>Clarify rulemaking procedures pursuant to Revision 3 of the 1958 Agreement, and</li><li>Ensure "good regulatory practice" through clarifications to avoid divergence between the interpretation of Revision 3 and the application to UN Regulations.</li></ul>

19. On behalf of the Task Force on Reversing Alarm (TF-RA), the expert from Japan reported on the TF-RA activities. In particular, he mentioned that TF-RA would soon distribute a simple questionnaire among GRB experts with a view to collecting information on national practices with respect to reversing alarms. Based on future responses, TF-TA would draft a new Regulation. The expert from Switzerland suggested that “reversing alarm” should be replaced with “acoustic warning” in the title of a new Regulation.

GRB-67-10 | Report of the task force on Reversing Alarms to GRB-67

20. No proposals were considered under this agenda item.

21. No new information was reported under this item.

GRB-67-13 | Study on Euro 5 sound level limits of L-category vehicles: progress and CBA results

22. The expert from the Netherlands presented an update of the project on labelling road surfaces (GRB-67-19), based on the following criteria: skid resistance, noise reduction, rolling resistance and lifespan. GRB recalled its view that labelling road surfaces could only be introduced as a non-legally binding document, e.g. a recommendation or resolution, and its intention to find the most appropriate body to adopt such a document. In this context, the Chair informed GRB about the AC.2 considerations of this issue, at its November 2017 session. The secretariat further reported that the Working Party on Road Transport (SC.1), at its September 2017 session, had indicated that the project was beyond the SC.1 Terms of Reference. The Chair invited the Netherlands, in cooperation with the Chair, secretariat and other interested parties, to draft a recommendation or resolution for consideration at the next session of GRB.

GRB-67-19 | Labelling road surfaces Presentation on a Dutch project for the labeling/rating of road surfaces for noise, wet skid resistance, rolling resistance, and lifespan.

23. No issues were considered under this item.

24. GRB noted that its proposal to change the measuring units for vehicle masses from tonnes to kilograms had been agreed at the October 2017 session of the Working Party on General Safety Provisions (GRSG) (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRSG/2017/20) and would be submitted to the March 2018 session of WP.29 for adoption.

GRSG/2017/20 | Proposal for amendments to Consolidated Resolution on the Construction of Vehicles (R.E.3) Proposal to change the units for vehicle masses from tonnes to kilograms in R.E.3.

25. GRB was informed that Revision 3 of the 1958 Agreement had entered into force on 14 September 2017 and that WP.29, at its November 2017 session, had adopted Draft General Guidelines for United Nations regulatory procedures and transitional provisions in UN Regulations and a new UN Regulation No. 0 on the International Whole Vehicle Type Approval (IWVTA).

26. The secretariat reported on the highlights of the 173rd session of WP.29.

GRB-67-05 | GRB session general information and highlights from the November 2017 WP.29 session

27. The Chair indicated that, before March 2018, he would again solicit views of GRB experts on this issue.

28. The expert from EC presented updated amendments for a new series of amendments to Regulation No. 9 with the aim to introduce ASEP requirements for L4 and L5 category vehicles with the power-to-mass ratio (PMR) of more than 50 W/kg (GRB-67-04). The expert of IMMA was of the view that the industry would need much longer transitional periods for implementing the amendments. The secretariat pointed out that the references to standard ISO 10844 should be updated. GRB invited the expert from EC to update the proposals and submit them as an official document for consideration at the next session.

GRB-67-04 | UN R9: Proposed amendment to add ASEP requirements Proposal for amendments to introduce ASEP requirements for L4 and L5 category vehicles with PMR > 50 W/kg.

29. The expert from Germany presented an overview of issues with noise emissions of non-original replacement exhaust silencer systems (NORESS) for L-category vehicles (GRB-67-03), as well as a possible solution in the form of a Supplement 3 to the 01 series to UN Regulation No. 92 (GRB-67-02). Following a brief exchange of views, GRB generally supported the approach and agreed that the proposed modifications should become a new series of amendments. GRB experts were invited to transmit their comments, if any, directly to the expert of Germany, so that he would be able to submit an official document for consideration at the next session.

GRB-67-02 | UN R92: Proposal for a Supplement 3 to the 01 series Proposal to introduce provisions for non-original replacement silencing systems (NORESS, independent aftermarket muffler systems) with multiple, manually or electronically adjustable, rider-selectable operating modes or variable geometries (NORESS with “flexibilities”). These "flexibilities enable the replacement systems to meet the requirements of Annex 3 (i.e., during testing) while producing much higher noise (sound pressure) outside the Annex 3 conditions. This amendment would require such NORESS to meet the ASEP requirements of UN R9 and UN R41. The amendment further introduces language taken from UN R51. In effect, NORESS with flexibilities performance under normal driving conditions would not be permitted to deviate from its performance under testing.

GRB-67-03 | Problems with noise emissions of L-category vehicles Presentation in support of Germany's proposal for amendments to UN R92 on non-original replacement exhaust silencing systems.

30. GRB noted that Ms. M. Prémillieu (France), Messrs. B. Despujols and T. Miyachi (both OICA) had assumed new functions and would no longer attend GRB meetings. GRB thanked them for their contributions and wished them success in the future.

31. For its sixty-eighth session, scheduled to be held in Geneva from 12 (starting at 2.30 p.m.) to 14 (concluding at 5.30 p.m.) September 2018, GRB decided to keep the same structure of the provisional agenda, subject to the deletion of item 12 and adding two new items on Regulations Nos. 9 and 92. GRB noted that the deadline for the submission of official documents to the secretariat would be 18 June 2018, twelve weeks prior to the session.