The document provides the running order and tentative timetable for the twenty-sixth GRVA session based on ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRVA/2026/23. Sessions are scheduled for 14–18 September 2026 in Room VII, with agenda items including adoption of the agenda, highlights from the June 2026 WP.29 session, election of officers, connected vehicles, cyber security, software updates, data protection, automated and autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence, advanced driver assistance systems, braking regulations, and other business matters.

Provisional agenda for the twenty-sixth session of the Working Party on Automated/Autonomous and Connected Vehicles (GRVA), held 14 September 2026 in Geneva. Items include adoption of agenda, highlights from June 2026 WP.29 session, Artificial Intelligence in vehicles, automated and connected vehicles including Automated Driving Systems, UN Regulations 155, 156, 157, 171, 178, 151, 152, 130, 131, 139, 140, 13, 13-H, 78, 90, Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, braking systems, Electronic Stability Control, e-Trailers, motorcycle braking, exchange of views on guidelines and national activities, Revision 3 to the 1958 Agreement, election of officers, and other business including climate change mitigation strategy and programme of work.

Note by the secretariat summarizing outcomes from the June 2026 sessions of WP.29 Administrative Committees. AC.1 adopted amendments to UN Regulations including a new UN Regulation on ADS and 92 ADS fitness amendments, plus 02 series amendments to UN R171. AC.3 established a new UN GTR on ADS and agreed to continue ADS follow-up work. AC.2 welcomed a new WP.29 Secretary, authorized SAE China participation, and provisionally invited IADS to attend GRVA sessions.

This document has been provided to GRVA as a courtesy by ISO. Please refer to GRVA for the password to open the document (https://unece.org/info/events/event/412104).

Proposal to establish terms of reference and rules of procedure for the Task Force on Exchange of Scenario-Relevant Information. The TF on ESRI shall propose procedures to facilitate sharing of information under WP.29 that can support the use of traffic scenarios for assessment of vehicles, equipment, and parts performing the dynamic driving task, and shall develop proposals concerning information structuring, information exchange management, public availability of information, and application recommendations. The TF on ESRI shall not propose scenarios for use in regulations, propose a regulatory database or catalogue, propose requirements for scenario use in regulations, or develop regulatory provisions. The TF on ESRI shall aim to develop procedures facilitating continuous improvement of vehicle safety, exchanges among Contracting Parties, application of scenario-related provisions, and efficient procedures for information exchange. The TF on ESRI shall present outcomes within two years from approval of these terms of reference by GRVA. The TF on ESRI is a subsidiary body of GRVA, open to all WP.29 participants, managed by a chairperson or co-chairs from Contracting Parties. Meetings shall be held in public, either in person or online. Decisions shall be reached by consensus.

Document presents automated shuttles as vehicles designed for public transport with autonomy by design, typically featuring fewer than 10 seats and often limited to 50 km/h maximum speed. Shuttles are deployed globally but are incompatible with current UN vehicle categories: category M₁ does not accommodate standing passengers and is incompatible with crashworthiness regulations, while M₂/M₃ Class A construction alignment is prevented by the fewer-than-10-seat threshold. Proposal calls for a workshop organized by the GRSG/GRVA task force on automated vehicle categories to engage stakeholders and confirm need for an international category or class, addressing administrative questions, alignment with M₂/M₃ regulations, seating capacity, dimensions, weight, speed limits, and bidirectionality options.

The IWG on AI reports on three meetings held since June 2026 and future meetings scheduled through January 2027. The IWG has compiled literature on regulated automotive safety systems using AI, created terms and definitions for AI, listed AI use cases for regulated automotive safety systems, and is working on an AI reference document (latest draft AI-11-03). An AI reference document is scheduled for submission as a formal working document to the June 2027 WP.29 session, based on WP.29-199-26 with structural and conceptual improvements. Small drafting groups will propose document updates via change request forms using AI-11-04, with only updates receiving majority consensus during plenary meetings incorporated into the baseline.

Status report on research activities of the Informal Working Group on ACPE GTR. Canada is conducting ongoing tests with three vehicles examining accelerator application rates, distances to obstacles, and false-positive interventions. The United Kingdom plans to contribute information from Transport London research. South Korea is preparing presentations on documented cases with 10Hz EDR data and KNCAP 2026 tests. Germany is planning vehicle benchmarks and subjective tests. Japan is conducting vehicle evaluation tests using two passenger vehicles with three target types based on UN R175 01 series test procedures. The next coordination meeting is scheduled for 10 November 2026, with an in-person meeting in Tokyo proposed for February 24–26, 2027.

Proposal to amend, delete, and insert various provisions throughout a Guidance and Interpretation document on GTR 26 and UN R185 on Automated Driving Systems. The document supplements the proposal to supersede GRVA/2026/24 by providing the changes to the draft text separately from the restructuring and additions of GTR 26 references.

Consolidated revision of the working document on guidance and interpretation document for GTR 26 and UN R185 on Automated Driving Systems (GRVA/2026/24). The document facilitates interpretation of ADS requirements when applied to particular ADS vehicles, provides guidance on evidence for requirements, and helps harmonize application across manufacturers and authorities. It addresses definitions, application for approval, approval procedures, ADS performance of the Dynamic Driving Task in nominal, critical, and failure situations, interactions between ADS and users, safety management systems, test environments, safety cases, and post-deployment safety monitoring.

Progress report on Authentication and Authorisation (OBAC) work. Since the 25th GRVA session, a brief update was provided to the 199th WP.29 session in June, input was gathered from contracting parties regarding scope, needs and directions, use cases were set for initial focus including DSSAD, OBFCM, Digital Key and ePTI, and rationale was refined. A Support Paper is now being drafted for introduction through WP.29.

Proposal to insert definitions for Software Identification Number, insert requirements for manufacturers to provide necessary information allowing the Technical Service to uniquely identify hardware and software configurations, insert provisions allowing vehicle manufacturers to apply for new approvals to differentiate software versions for registered versus new vehicles, amend production discontinuation provisions to clarify that cessation is not deemed definitive if the manufacturer intends to obtain subsequent extensions for software updates of vehicles already registered in the market, renumber and insert new items in approval communication annexes regarding software identification and software updates including RxSWIN, and insert provisions allowing vehicle manufacturers to obtain new approvals for software version differentiation across multiple UN Regulations (13, 13-H, 79, 89, 130, 131, 139, 140, 152, 155, 156, 157, 171, 175, and 178).

Proposal to amend paragraph AI to introduce a link between existing text in Part A and new Part C regarding vehicle transformations, insert new Part C providing guidance for the application of UN Regulation No. 155 to transformed vehicles including documentary evidence requirements, and add section 6 clarifying that the requirement for Certificate of Compliance and type approval to be issued by the same Approval Authority applies only within the scope of a specific type approval and its approval holder.

The IWG on AEBS held its second meeting virtually on 18 June 2026 and decided to submit ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRVA/2026/38 for approval, an amendment adding a footnote to clarify that Sufficient nominal Peak Braking Coefficient should be understood as a minimum value. The IWG plans to collect accident data from jurisdictions, existing regulations, technologies, and state-of-the-art performance requirements for collision scenarios involving pedestrians at night. A schedule of future informal meetings is provided through January 2028, with a draft regulation planned for availability by January 2028 and formal submission by September 2028.

Report on a virtual meeting of the Task Force on Vehicular Communications held on 11 June 2026. Presentations were made by China CAICT with support from CATARC, the European Commission DG MOVE, and SAE International on the use of communications to improve the protection of VRUs. The co-chairs are UK, U.S., and Japan, with China as vice-chair.

Status report on the ADS Workshop since the 25th GRVA, covering two meetings held in June and July 2026. Task 3 addressed interpretation and guidelines, with nearly 60 change requests discussed and concluded during the Brussels meeting. Four types of changes were needed to GRVA/2026/24: consolidation of approved changes, addition of GTR version references, revised number formatting, and editorial improvements. Two informal documents are provided for clarity: a clean revision (GRVA-26-09e) and a listing of substantive changes (GRVA-26-09a1e). The workshop seeks GRVA approval for submission to WP.29 in November 2026 for adoption in March 2027. The revision applies alphabetical headings aligned with ADS regulations structure, alphanumeric subheadings for explanations, and deletes consecutive numbering to avoid confusion with GTR and UN R185 paragraph numbers.

Proposal to:

• Insert new para. 3.2.2. requiring manufacturers of ALKS active in territories other than the approving Contracting Party to provide summaries of how applicable traffic rules were identified, interpreted, and assessed, summaries of specific testing carried out, and a single point of contact,
• Insert new paras. 4.8. to 4.8.6. establishing procedures for granting approval authorities to inform receiving approval authorities of such ALKS, requiring information sharing at least 30 days prior to approval, permitting receiving authorities to comment within 30 days, establishing dispute settlement under Article 10 and Schedule 6 of the 1958 Agreement, and requiring the same procedures when extending type approval to additional territories,
• Insert footnotes [Y] and [X] regarding periodic review and contact details for approval authorities.

Document presents parking accident data from China showing high-frequency accident factors including static obstacles and vulnerable road users, with 45% of parking lot accidents occurring on driveways and 40% involving children. Establishes recommendations for a Parking Task Force to research product requirements for Assisted Parking and Automated Parking, evaluate applicability of current UN regulations, and promote formulation or revision of regulations. Identifies technical differences between driving and parking functions, including separate development routes, earlier mass production timelines for parking automation, and specific test method requirements not fully covered by current UN regulations.

Status report on activities of the IWG on CS/OTA since the 25th GRVA session. The IWG reviewed proposals for amendment of UN R155 and its interpretation document for multi-stage vehicles, proposals for approval-authority arrangements and Certificates of Compliance for UN R155 and R156, proposals integrating software identification and update text across several UNRs outlined in RE.3, component and STU approval concepts, and remote operation and automated driving systems. The IWG proposes updating regulatory text and interpretation documents for UN R155, revisions to software identification and update text across several regulations, and revised Terms of Reference for a mandate till November 2029.

Proposal to renew the terms for the Informal Working Group on Cyber Security and Software Updates under GRVA. The IWG shall maintain official documents on cyber security and software updates, develop amendments to UN R155 and UN R156 including provisions on software identification, support application across Global Technical Regulations, and provide opportunities for participants to share implementation experience. The IWG will be chaired by the United Kingdom, United States, and Japan, with OICA providing technical secretariat, and will operate until November 2029.

Document explains concerns about the approach in GRVA/2026/30 to require a single Approval Authority to issue certificates of compliance for Cyber Security Management Systems and Automated Driving Systems Management Systems and vehicle type approval. The proposed changes would lead to double or triple approvals of management systems, creating administrative burden and unresolved legal consequences regarding challenged certificates of compliance and their effects on other issued certificates for the same management system. The submission proposes clarifying existing wording, documenting implications of challenged certificates, and adding a new paragraph 5.1.5. to UN R155 permitting mutual agreement between Approval Authorities regarding certificate usage.

Proposal to amend Article 2, paragraph 2 to clarify that where a Certificate of Compliance required under a UN Regulation and issued by an Approval Authority of another Contracting Party is accepted by a Contracting Party, the Approval Authority granting the corresponding type approval shall remain responsible for all aspects of that type approval. The amendment addresses management systems and their Certificates of Compliance used in UN Regulations such as UN R155 and UN R156.

Proposal to clarify para. 5.6.4.6.8.1.(e) of UN R79 to address how different direction indicator lever mechanisms comply with manual deactivation requirements for automated lane change systems. The regulation currently does not distinguish between full-turn methods, where the lever returns to neutral position, and half-turn methods, where activation of the opposite direction indicator or stalk activation in the opposite direction constitutes deactivation. Two options are presented: either add separate provisions for each method, or note that activation of opposite direction indicator lamps may constitute deactivation of the initiating signal.

Proposal to insert a new para. 5.1.12. requiring that whenever an assessment of compliance to a requirement of this regulation is unachievable without reading internal signal(s) of an electronic system, the vehicle manufacturer shall provide instructions and tools to read signals on in-vehicle networks for the technical service to extract and interpret the signal(s), with this information appended to the test report.

Proposal to amend para. 3.4.1. and para. 3.4.4. in Annex 8 to require manufacturers to address how the braking system strategy will not prejudice safe operation due to failures with other systems involved in achieving the function of the system, and insert new para. 4.5. in Annex 6 to require consideration of the effect of implausible wheel-speed information on anti-lock system operation in fault analysis. The proposal responds to a United Kingdom collision involving tyre failure and ABS activation that resulted in unsafe operation.

Status report on e-axle trailer development within GRVA, covering taxonomy, regulatory approach, and progress. The document presents use cases for electric axles in trailers of categories O2, O3, and O4, comparing simplified frameworks for O2 with fully integrated heavy vehicle frameworks for O3/O4. Progress includes updated taxonomy, ISO 11992 standardization work, and completed workshops. Step 2 adoption is targeted for January 2027, with Step 3 planning for O2 trailers to be clarified.

Status report to GRVA on the Automated Driving Systems informal working group. Reports progress since the 25th GRVA session in May 2026, including a meeting held in July in Brussels. Describes submissions including draft Terms of Reference for IWG on ADS2. Outlines planned activities: a joint IWG on ADS and workshop meeting 6–9 October 2026 in Sydney to finalize guidance for WP.29 in November 2026 and draft phase 2 programme of work; and an official kick-off IWG on ADS2 meeting 7–11 December 2026 in The Hague. Requests GRVA adoption of draft Terms of Reference for transmission to WP.29.

Terms of Reference and Rules of Procedure for a second phase of work on GTR 26 and UN R185 (ADS2). The IWG shall keep under review the suitability of existing provisions in the Global Technical Regulation and UN Regulation on ADS, consider proposals for new provisions, submit draft regulatory proposals amending both regulations, maintain the Guidance and Interpretation Document, assume responsibility for Data Storage Systems for Automated Driving matters, and deliver draft proposals no later than the January 2029 session of GRVA. The IWG shall report to GRVA, be managed by six Co-Chairs from different regions, operate in English, reach decisions by consensus, and ensure regulatory proposals are performance based and technology neutral.

Terms of reference and rules of procedure for the Workshop on ADS implementation, a subsidiary body of GRVA operating until November 2028. The workshop shall provide a platform for all matters of implementation of UN R185 and GTR 26 by Contracting Parties, with an aim of facilitating uniform implementation. The workshop shall gather diverse experts from Contracting Parties, NGOs and other stakeholders, collect and share information on implementation, report to GRVA in close relationship with the GRVA IWG on ADS2, and may submit proposals to the IWG on ADS2 for amendments. The workshop shall operate open to all WP.29 participants, with three co-Chairpersons elected from Contracting Parties representatives and a Secretary providing administrative support.

FIA invites stakeholders to collaborate on a proposal to improve the assessment and activation criteria for ESC/ESP within UN Regulation No. 140. The initiative is driven by road safety considerations, particularly the prevention of misuse and findings from ESC testing where unexpected system behavior has occasionally been observed.

Proposal to amend para. 5.6.1.2.7. to extend the maximum remote control parking (RCP) operating range to a maximum of 15 m if, prior to the operation, a visual message informing the operator of their responsibility is presented to and acknowledged by the operator. The justification notes that RCP systems with ranges exceeding 6 m are already offered in large markets such as Canada and the United States of America, and that such extended-range systems have been used in the field for several years without negative feedback or identified safety threats.

Proposal to insert a new sub-paragraph 5.6.1.1.4.1 to exempt ACSF Category A functions from the requirements of paragraph 5.6.1.1.4, provided that the functions are intended solely to assist the driver in regaining vehicle motion in limited traction conditions in off-road environments up to 5 km/h (+1 km/h tolerance), are activated following a deliberate action by the driver with the driver in the driver’s seat and safety belt fastened, and allow the driver to override or deactivate the function at any time, with the manufacturer to describe system behaviour when operating conditions are no longer met.

Proposal to amend para. 3.4.1. and 3.4.4. of Annex 8 to require manufacturers to account for faults or failures with other systems involved in achieving the function of the braking system in their safety concept and analysis, and insert new para. 4.5. in Annex 6 requiring consideration of implausible wheel-speed information effects on anti-lock system operation in fault analysis. The proposal responds to a fatal collision in the United Kingdom where tyre failure and inaccurate wheel speed signals caused ABS activation that resulted in loss of braking force.

Proposal to clarify the provisions
applicable to the type-approval of Risk Mitigation Functions (RMF): Amend para. 5.1.6.3.4. to clarify that the signal to activate hazard warning lights is generated with the start of the intervention and is deemed to start the intervention, amend Annex 8 para. 3.6.1. to specify that hazard warning lights are activated at the earliest five seconds after the warning signal, and amend Annex 8 para. 3.6.2. (Scenarios A and B) to specify the same timing requirement for hazard warning lights activation in tests for RMF bringing the vehicle to a safe stop outside its own lane of travel. The proposal clarifies that the starting time of RMF operation comes with the driver warning and that five seconds should be measured until the hazard warning lights come.

Document outlining GRVA’s priority activities for 2027 based on ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2026/1. GRVA will continue establishing and maintaining the United Nations regulatory framework for Automated Driving Systems, including UN R185 and GTR 26, with work on cyber security, over-the-air software updates, and the Data Storage System for Automated Driving. GRVA will focus on ADS implementation, provisions for Exchange of Scenario-Relevant Information, and elaboration of requirements for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems and Automated Emergency Braking Systems building on UN R79, 171, 131, and 152.

Proposal to amend para. 5.1.3., insert new paras. 5.1.5. and 5.1.5.1. requiring the Approval Authority to refuse type approval unless the Certificate of Compliance for the Cyber Security Management System is issued by the same Approval Authority granting vehicle type approval, while permitting referencing of certificates from other Approval Authorities under specific conditions with documented agreements and clarified responsibilities, and insert new paras. 5.4. and 5.4.1. with equivalent requirements for the Software Update Management System Certificate of Compliance.

Proposal to amend paragraph AI to introduce a link between existing text in Part A and new text in Part C regarding vehicle transformations, and insert new Part C providing guidance for the application of UN Regulation No. 155 to transformed vehicles. The proposal adds section 6 clarifying that the requirement for the Certificate of Compliance and type approval to be issued by the same Approval Authority applies only within the scope of the type approval granted to the manufacturer concerned, and does not restrict another manufacturer from obtaining a separate type approval and associated Certificate of Compliance from the responsible Approval Authority.

Proposal to amend Annex 8, paragraph 2.8. to establish performance-based requirements ensuring continuous trailer immobilisation during service brake pressure depletion. The amendment requires that when a trailer is uncoupled and the park brake control is released, braking forces from combined service and parking braking systems shall hold the laden trailer at any time when service brake energy reservoir reduces from 850 kPa to 0 kPa, and that adequate overlap between service brake and spring brake functions be ensured so no loss of holding capability occurs during pressure depletion.

Proposal to amend GRVA/2026/34 proposing to amend para. 5.6.1.2.7. to modify the specified maximum RCP operating range from 6 m to 10 m, with provision to extend to a maximum of 15 m if direct line of sight between the remote-control device and the vehicle is ensured. The justification notes that RCP systems with extended ranges are already offered in large markets without regulatory limits, that radio wave-based ranging requires safety margins reducing effective usable range, and that increased range would reduce blind areas behind vehicles and allow drivers to better monitor surroundings while manoeuvring, reducing risks and increasing overall safety.

GRVA will continue to establish and maintain the United Nations regulatory framework for Automated Driving Systems, including UN R185 and GTR 26. GRVA will continue its work on cyber security, over-the-air software updates, and the Data Storage System for Automated Driving. GRVA will focus on implementation of ADS and development of provisions for the Exchange of Scenario-Relevant Information. GRVA will further elaborate requirements for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, building on UN R79 and UN R171, and for Automated Emergency Braking Systems, building on UN R131 and UN R152.