3. WP.29 took note of the special procedures during COVID-19 period, which had been adopted under silence procedure on 26 February 2021 and was informed about the written voting procedures, which took place from 2 to 5 March 2021, for WP.29, AC.1 and AC.3 items envisaged for voting in accordance with the agenda of the 183rd session of the World Forum, as well as of the live voting procedure for WP.29, AC.1 and AC.3 items which had been scheduled to take place during online sessions with interpretation on 10 March 2021.

4. WP.29 adopted the annotated provisional agenda (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/1156/Rev.1 and WP.29-183-03) and the running order of the 183rd session (WP.29-183-02).

3. WP.29 took note of the special procedures during COVID-19 period, which had been adopted under silence procedure on 26 February 2021 and was informed about the written voting procedures, which took place from 2 to 5 March 2021, for WP.29, AC.1 and AC.3 items envisaged for voting in accordance with the agenda of the 183rd session of the World Forum, as well as of the live voting procedure for WP.29, AC.1 and AC.3 items which had been scheduled to take place during online sessions with interpretation on 10 March 2021.

4. WP.29 adopted the annotated provisional agenda (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/1156/Rev.1 and WP.29-183-03) and the running order of the 183rd session (WP.29-183-02).

20. The secretariat introduced the progress report on activities related to Automated Driving Systems and Advanced Driver Assistant Systems (WP.29-183-14).

78. The World Forum considered draft amendments under agenda items 4.6.1 to 4.6.7. and recommended their submission to AC.1 for voting, subject to the following corrections of ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2021/8 under agenda item 4.6.6 (WP.29-183-06):
In paragraph 4.4.1., replace “markings” with “approval mark”.
In paragraph 9.1., delete from the proposal (i.e. keep the paragraph in its current form).

79. The Chair of GRBP presented draft amendment proposals contained in documents ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2021/3, ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2021/10 and Rev.1, ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2021/11 under agenda item 4.6.8 to 4.6.10., to amend UN Regulations Nos. 41, 141 and 142. The World Forum recommended their submission to AC.1 for voting.

65. The delegate from ETRTO reported on additional documentary requirements that their members had faced in several Contracting Parties to the 1958 Agreement when importing tyres which had been previously type approved by other Contracting Parties according to UN Regulations (WP.29-183-07). He held the view that such requirements were not in line with the text and spirit of Revision 3 to the 1958 Agreement and requested WP.29 guidance on the issue.

66. The delegates from CLEPA, OICA and IMMA supported the ETRTO concerns over the proper implementation of the 1958 Agreement, but pointed out that their own members had so far not encountered similar problems.

67. WP.29 stressed that, according to Article 3 of the 1958 Agreement, “Contracting Parties applying UN Regulations shall, by mutual recognition, accept for the placement in their markets, and subject to the provisions of Articles 1, 8 and 12 as well as any special provisions within these UN Regulations, type approvals granted pursuant to these UN Regulations, without requiring any further testing, documentation, certification or marking concerning these type approvals”.

68. The World Forum invited Contracting Parties to report on issues which could impede the smooth application of mutual recognition at the national level and decided to revert to this matter at the next session, to assess the need for appropriate actions.

20. The secretariat introduced the progress report on activities related to Automated Driving Systems and Advanced Driver Assistant Systems (WP.29-183-14).

20. The secretariat introduced the progress report on activities related to Automated Driving Systems and Advanced Driver Assistant Systems (WP.29-183-14).

98. The representative from the United States of America, Co-Chair of the IWG on EDR/DSSAD recalled the deliverables produced by the group in 2020: the DSSAD part of UN Regulation No. 157 and the work on a new UN Regulation on EDR. She informed WP.29 that the discussions on the document on EDR Performance Elements Appropriate for Adoption under the 1958 and 1998 Agreements related to the additional data-elements to be captured by an EDR had not been concluded by the group. She said the IWG welcomed any
guidance from WP.29 members on the elements in the document that were still in square brackets, but noted that document was not ready for final consideration by WP.29.

99. She requested extension of the mandate for the group until end of 2022. She noted that in 2020, the IWG focused its efforts almost entirely on drafting the UN regulation for EDRs and with that work completed, the group intended to focus on DSSAD as well as phase II of EDR, focusing on the extension of scope to heavy duty vehicles and buses in 2022.

100. The representative of the European Commission supported the extension of the IWG’s mandate and referred to the European Union programme of work that includes EDR related elements such as extension of scope to heavy duty vehicles in addition to DSSAD for automated vehicles.

101. The Chair of GRVA noted the close interlinkage of the activities of the IWG on EDR/DSSAD with IWGs on VMAD and FRAV. He urged the EDR/DSSAD IWG to prioritize the work on data storage systems for the calendar year ahead now that the EDR regulation had been sent to WP.29 and recalled that the mandate extensions for VMAD and FRAV would be addressed during the special session of AC.2 designated to the topic of vehicle automation.

102. WP.29 adopted the extension of the mandate for the IWG on EDR/DSSAD until 2022.

20. The secretariat introduced the progress report on activities related to Automated Driving Systems and Advanced Driver Assistant Systems (WP.29-183-14).

65. The delegate from ETRTO reported on additional documentary requirements that their members had faced in several Contracting Parties to the 1958 Agreement when importing tyres which had been previously type approved by other Contracting Parties according to UN Regulations (WP.29-183-07). He held the view that such requirements were not in line with the text and spirit of Revision 3 to the 1958 Agreement and requested WP.29 guidance on the issue.

66. The delegates from CLEPA, OICA and IMMA supported the ETRTO concerns over the proper implementation of the 1958 Agreement, but pointed out that their own members had so far not encountered similar problems.

67. WP.29 stressed that, according to Article 3 of the 1958 Agreement, “Contracting Parties applying UN Regulations shall, by mutual recognition, accept for the placement in their markets, and subject to the provisions of Articles 1, 8 and 12 as well as any special provisions within these UN Regulations, type approvals granted pursuant to these UN Regulations, without requiring any further testing, documentation, certification or marking concerning these type approvals”.

68. The World Forum invited Contracting Parties to report on issues which could impede the smooth application of mutual recognition at the national level and decided to revert to this matter at the next session, to assess the need for appropriate actions.

122. The secretariat informed WP.29 about activities within the United Nations Road Safety Fund project on Safer and Cleaner Used Vehicles for Africa, which aims to improve safety and environmental performance of vehicles that are imported to Africa through a proposed set of minimum requirements. The secretariat informed WP.29 on project stakeholders and timeline, as well as the activities envisaged under its scope.

123. WP.29 took note of the initiative and its activities, recognizing the contribution of project activities towards facilitating enhanced safety and environmental performance of vehicles that are imported to Africa, and invited the secretariat to regularly update WP.29 about the progress of this project. WP.29 also acknowledged the contribution from the UN Road Safety Fund in supporting this activity.

124. WP.29 noted the overview of proposals, adopted at the 182nd session, and their envisaged entry into force.

103. WP.29 noted ECE/TRANS/WP.29/1074/Rev.16 on the status of the agreement, including the status of the UN Rules annexed to the agreement, the list of the contracting parties to the agreement and of their administrative departments.

104. The representative of the Russian Federation, Co-Chair of the IWG on Periodical Technical Inspections (PTI) reported to WP.29 on the activities of the IWG at its nineteenth and twentieth sessions, which took place on 4 February and 1 March, 2021, in a virtual format. He informed WP.29 that the work of the IWG had focused on the development of four draft documents: (a) the framework document on in-service compliance assessment of vehicles, including automated/autonomous vehicles and their components; (b) the draft UN Rule on Accident Emergency Call Systems (AECS); © guidance for road-side technical inspections and enforcement; (d) measures for detection of tampering. He explained that the framework document would be further developed by a subgroup of the IWG on PTI.

105. The Co-Chair of the IWG on PTI sought guidance from WP.29 on elements of its activities related to the framework document on in-service compliance which aimed to address market surveillance mechanisms for the robust verification of compliance of the automotive products. He also requested approval from WP.29 for the extension of the mandate of the IWG on PTI.

106. The representative of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland suggested editorial correction to the subparagraph (iii) on page 1 to avoid confusions on the possible performance level of a vehicle during its lifetime.

107. The representative of the Netherlands, Chair of GRPE, supported the views expressed on the importance of vehicle performance not only at the time of type approval or when the vehicle is new but also during its lifetime. He mentioned topics addressed by GRPE in that sense, such as durability, in service conformity, real driving emissions determination etc.

108. The representative of OICA confirmed the importance of Periodic Technical Inspection to ensure that vehicles, as long as they remain on the road, are as safe and clean as possible. He however could not agree with several statements in inf. doc. WP29-183-18 and sought guidance on the deliveries related to potential activities on in-service compliance. He mentioned that the document was confusing the role of Type Approval/Conformity of Production testing and PTI testing and considered that the activities of IWG-PTI should be focused on the development of requirements for PTI under the 1997 Agreement, without duplicating or contradicting the requirements of the 1958 Agreement. The expert from CITA, Secretary to the IWG on PTI, explained that some concepts presented to date were still in development and therefore not clearly defined, but that the group could deliver definition that would be valuable for WP.29 work.

109. The World Forum took note of the information provided by the Co-Chair of the IWG on PTI. WP.29 provided guidance for drafting the revised terms of reference of the group. WP.29 considered that the IWG on PTI would not be the primarily responsible group that would deliberate considerations related to market surveillance in relation with the 1958 Agreement and the general in-service compliance.

110. WP.29 approved the request for extension of the mandate of the IWG on PTI until March 2022 and invited the IWG to deliver revised Terms of Reference.

125. The representative from Green NCAP introduced WP.29-183-19 presenting the activities and future plans of the Green NCAP partnership.

126. The representative from the United States of America shared the experience in his country, where the “Smart Way” program rated vehicles according to their environmental performance and top performers given more prominent visibility on United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) website. The tool proved to be effective for consumers and consumer organizations, such as the Consumer Reports which has endorsed the procedure developed by US EPA for their own independent environmental tests. He insisted that clear and transparent information are key to the success of such rating programs, as well described by Green NCAP.

127. The representative from the UK congratulated Green NCAP for the presentation and welcomed the introduction of a roadmap to widen the coverage, as some vehicles are already rating the maximum five stars. He insisted it would be important to include non-exhaust particles to be monitored and confirmed the continuous support from the UK in Green NCAP.

128. The representative from the Netherlands, Chair of GRPE, welcomed this Green NCAP presentation at WP.29 and the willingness from Green NCAP to use the legislative tools offered by UNECE in their test protocols. He further asked three questions on (1) non-exhaust particulates emissions on the possibility to use the procedure currently under development at GRPE, (2) the possibility by Green NCAP to look at lifetime compliance issues and environmental performance consistency over the years and (3) if the representative from Green NCAP could elaborate on the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approaches mentioned.

129. The representative from the EU thanked the representative from Green NCAP for the interesting presentation and agreed that existing emission legislation in the EU had a margin for improvement, and reminded that the EU had started the process to develop Euro 7/VII legislation with a proposal to be released by the European Commission by the end of 2021.

130. The representative from Green NCAP answered that indeed non-exhaust particulates are expected to be included in the near future, and that Green NCAP is likely to use the procedure developed by GRPE once released. On the second question, he indicated that even though NCAP means New Car Assessment Program, Green NCAP is investigating durability issues with a view of including those into the rating, looking at different options such as testing aged vehicles from the fleet, using remote sensing or artificially-aged vehicles.

131. Finally, he emphasized that LCA issues are a hot topic in the present time, and could potentially add big value to the rating system. He mentioned that in the near future, Green NCAP was planning to look at including well-to-wheel fuel life cycle into the rating, instead of the present tank-to-wheel perspective. He also announced LCA consumer tool would be introduced in the course of 2022, but insisted that, to be meaningful, the number of vehicles tested would need to be higher. He also said Green NCAP expected the LCA tool to benefit from all the research and new science now being elaborated on the topic, but he saw that as a longer-term element to be included in the rating.

132. He concluded by thanking WP.29 for the interesting exchange and the opportunity to speak.