1. The World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations (WP.29) held its 165th session from 10 to 13 March 2015, chaired by Mr. B. Kisulenko (Russian Federation). The following countries were represented, following Rule 1(a) of the Rules of Procedure of WP.29 (TRANS/WP.29/690 and Amends.1 and 2): Australia; Belgium; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Brazil; Canada; China; Croatia; Czech Republic; Ecuador; Finland; France; Germany; Hungary; India; Italy; Japan; Latvia; Luxembourg; Malaysia; Netherlands; Norway; Poland; Portugal; Republic of Korea; Romania; Russian Federation; Serbia; Slovakia; South Africa; Spain; Sweden; Switzerland; Turkey; United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; United States of America; Uruguay. Representatives of the European Union (EU) participated. The following governmental organization was represented: International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The following non-governmental organizations were also represented: Association for Emission Control by Catalyst (AECC); Consumers International (CI); European Tyre and Rim Technical Organisation (ETRTO); European Association of Automotive Suppliers (CLEPA, representing also the Motor and Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA) and Japan Auto Parts Industries Association (JAPIA) ) ; the Foundation for the Automobile and Society (FIA Foundation); Global New Car Assessment Programme; International Automotive Lighting and Light Signalling Expert Group (GTB); International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC); International Motorcycle Manufacturers Association (IMMA); International Motor Vehicle Inspection Committee (CITA); International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers (OICA); Rubber Manufacturers Association; World Blind Union (WBU). At the invitation of the secretariat, the Eurasian Economic Commission and AGC Glass Europe, also participated.

2. The Executive Secretary of UNECE, Mr. C. Friis Bach, welcomed the participants, mentioning, in particular, the participants representing emerging economies at the session, and confirmed the high importance of the World Forum WP.29 for UNECE. He discussed the ongoing rapid technological development and underlined the importance of connected vehicles. He acknowledged the challenges remaining in the spread of the technology, mentioning in particular the challenges related to the transition period, when there are both connected and non-connected vehicles on the roads. He also mentioned the challenges related to cyber security. He noted the benefits that new technologies could yield, including mitigating climate change and reducing emissions. He emphasized the role of WP.29 in supporting the spread of technologies, while at the same time ensuring the reliability and safety of the technology. He expressed his appreciation for the work of WP.29.

3. The Executive Secretary informed the World Forum that the selection process for the vacant P-5 post in the Vehicle Regulations and Transport Innovations Section had been concluded and he introduced the new Chief of the Vehicle Regulations Section, Mr. W. Nissler. The Executive Secretary also thanked the secretariat for the excellent work during the transition period and especially Mr. R. Hubert as replacement for the Chief of Section. The World Forum noted that the new P-3 staff member, Mr. M. Gangonells, started his function at the beginning of March 2015 and that he will provide secretariat services mainly to the Working Party on Pollution and Energy (GRPE).

4. The provisional annotated agenda for the session (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/1113/Add.1) was adopted with the amendments below:
(a) Addition of document references for items:
4.9.8. Add the reference to ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2015/21/Corr.1
4.9.9. Add the reference to ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2015/22/Corr.1
4.9.10. Add the reference to ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2015/23/Corr.1
4.9.12. Add the reference to ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2015/25/Corrs.1 and 2
4.9.20. Add the reference to ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2015/33/Corr.1
(b) Deletion of agenda items:
Remove agenda item 4.6.2

WP.29/2015/1113 | Annotated provisional agenda for the 165th World Forum/WP.29 session

WP.29/2015/1113/Add.1 | Addendum 1 to the provisional agenda of the 165th World Forum session

5. The list of informal documents is reproduced in Annex I to the session report (document WP.29/1114).

6. The 117th session of WP.29/AC.2 was held on 9 March 2015, chaired by Mr. B. Kisulenko (Russian Federation) and was attended, in accordance to Rule 29 of the terms of reference and rules of procedure of WP.29 (TRANS/WP.29/690 and including Amends.1 and 2), by the Chairs of WP.29 (Russian Federation), GRB (France), GRE (Belgium), GRSP (United States of America), GRPE (Germany), GRRF (United Kingdom), GRSG (Italy), the Administrative/Executive Committees of the three agreements administered by WP.29 (Russian Federation (AC.1), Russian Federation (AC.4) and the United States of America (AC.3), by the representatives of the European Union, Japan and the United States of America and by the Vice-Chairs of WP.29 (Italy), GRSG (Hungary), GRPE (India) and GRSP (Republic of Korea).

7. The Committee reviewed the draft agenda of the 165th session of the World Forum and recommended the amendments as indicated in para. 3 above. The Committee also recommended that agenda item 4.3 be considered by the World Forum, that and items 4.6 to 4.15 be considered by the Administrative Committee of the 1958 Agreement (AC.1) and that the rest of the agenda items of the 1998 Agreement be considered by the Executive Committee of the 1998 Agreement (AC.3). It was also recommended that the Administrative Committee of the 1997 Agreement (AC.4) not convene. WP.29/AC.2 also reviewed the draft agenda for the 166th session of the World Forum, scheduled to be held in Geneva from 23 to 26 June 2015.

8. WP.29/AC.2 noted the secretariat’s intention to include a new agenda item on documents for publication to resolve the problem of translation of documents into different languages.

9. WP.2/AC.2 considered WP.29-165-03 on further development of the 1997 Agreement and recommended that it be considered by the World Forum together with additional documents submitted by the representative of the Russian Federation under agenda item 7.

10. Given the importance of Intelligent Transport Systems and Automated Driving, WP.29/AC.2 was of the opinion that WP.29 could consider allocating more time in its schedule to this item to further develop the vision on how to tackle this item. WP.29/AC.2 also recommended the secretariat to strengthen the relationship with the Working Party on Road Traffic Safety for the sake of a better transparency.

11. The World Forum adopted the report of the Administrative Committee on its 117th session and its recommendations.

12. The World Forum noted the revised programme of work and proposed documentation (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2015/1). The secretariat presented the list of informal working groups (based on WP.29-165-01) and the distribution of tasks in the vehicle regulations and transport innovations section (based on WP.29-165-02). The World Forum noted WP.29-165-01 on the informal working groups and chairmanships of WP.29 and its subsidiary bodies as well as WP.29-165-02 on the current organization of the secretariat.

WP.29-165-01 | WP.29 Working Parties, Informal Working Groups and Chairs

WP.29-165-02 | Tasks to be performed by the members of the World Forum/WP.29 secretariat in 2015

WP.29/2015/1 | Programme of Work of the World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations (WP.29) and its Subsidiary Bodies

13. The representative of the European Union (EU) brought the situation of translation of legal documents to the attention of the World Forum. Since 2012, the secretariat has prepared legal documents in English only due to the resource constraints of the secretariat.

14. The representative of the EU expressed the importance of reintroducing the practice of preparing legal documents in all official languages, i.e. English, French and Russian. He added that as secretariat resources have been fully restored, the preparation of legal documents in all three official languages should be resumed. He pointed out that the concern on the delay in availability of translations puts at risk the legal approach agreed on in the EU to replace EU directives by UN Regulations; from a legal point of view the EU can only apply a UN Regulation and make it mandatory once it is formally adopted and the translations are made publicly available in the original languages of the UNECE at the date of entry into force.

15. The secretariat proposed these documents would be examined under a new agenda item for WP.29, thus giving them higher priority for translation. The representative of the EU did not object to this solution offered by the secretariat, and noted that a pragmatic solution should be found.

16. The representatives of Japan and the United Kingdom, co-chairing the IWG on Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS), gave a status report on the Group’s activities. They reported that the IWG convened on Tuesday, 10 March 2015 from 9.00 to 10.00 a.m. They added that the discussion on the guidance to be provided to Working Parties on this matter would also be continued in future IWG meetings. He also said that the Group wished to have longer meetings.

17. The representative of the United Kingdom underlined the importance of the issues discussed by the IWG and noted that this issue should be mainstreamed into the programme of work of WP.29. His proposal to move the meeting of the IWG on ITS/AD to take place on Wednesday at 2.00 p.m. to 4.00 p.m. has been agreed upon by WP.29.

17bis. The representative of the United Kingdom presented the terms of reference for the IWG on ITS/AD. WP.29 adopted the terms of reference as reproduced in Annex III of the session report.

WP.29-165-20 | Revised Terms of Reference for the ITS/Automated Driving informal working group

18. The representative of ITU informed WP.29 about their work on defining levels of automated/autonomous driving and recalled their willingness to cooperate with WP.29 in this area.

19. The secretariat informed the World Forum about the relevant decisions – Nos. 20, 33, 34, and 35 – taken by the Inland Transport Committee at its seventy-seventh session (24 to 26 February 2015).

20. The World Forum recalled the oral report of the Chair of GRB given during the 164th session (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/1112, paras. 29-31) and approved the report.

GRB/58 | Report of the GRB on its 60th session Report of the Working Party on Noise on its September 2014 session.

21. The World Forum recalled the oral report of the Chair of GRRF given during the 164th session (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/1112, paras. 32-36) and approved the report.

GRRF/78 | Report of the Working Party on Brakes and Running Gear (GRRF) on its 78th session

22. The World Forum recalled the oral report of the Chair of GRSG given during the 164th session (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/1112, paras. 37-40) and approved the report.

GRSG/86 | Report of the Working Party on General Safety (GRSG) on its 107th session

23. The World Forum recalled the oral report of the Chair of GRE given during the 164th session (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/1112, paras. 41-44) and approved the report.

GRE/72 | Report of the Working Party on Lighting and Light-Signalling (GRE) on its 72nd session

24. The representative of the United States of America [on behalf of the chair] of GRSP informed WP.29 about the results his Group during its fifty-sixth session (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRSP/56)

GRSP/56 | Report of the GRSP on its 56th session

25. He reported on the development of Phase 3 of UN Regulation No. 129 (Enhanced Child Restraint Systems) which concerns Child Restraint Systems using adult safety-belts to restrain children; GRSP is expected to adopt a proposal at its December 2015 session. Accordingly, he sought consent from WP.29 for a one-year extension of the mandate of the Informal Working Group (IWG). WP.29 endorsed the request.

26. The World Forum noted that Mr. N. Nguyen (United States of America) had been elected as GRSP Chair and re-elected Mr. J. W. Lee (Republic of Korea) as Vice-Chair of GRSP for the sessions in 2015.

27. The Chair of GRPE, Mr. Albus (Germany), reported on the results of GRPE during its seventieth session (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRPE/70).

28. [The GRPE Chair] announced that the IWG on Vehicle Propulsion System Definitions (VPSD) would submit a formal proposal for a new Mutual Resolution on Vehicle Powertrain Definitions for the June 2015 session of GRPE.

29. He introduced the informal documents, which list the acronyms and abbreviations used in UN Regulations (WP.29-165-17) and highlighted the problem of using the acronym ‘RESS’ to describe both the ‘Non-original Replacement Exhaust Silencer System’ and the ‘Non-original Replacement Exhaust System and Rechargeable Energy Storage System’ (WP.29-165-16). The World Forum endorsed the content of document WP.29-165-16 and referred the choice to its subsidiary bodies. The secretariat added that the document WP.29-165-17 would be made available on the UNECE website and it would continue to be updated on a regular basis.

WP.29-165-16 | Definitions and acronyms/abbreviations in Vehicle Regulations Status report on the work to harmonize definitions and terms.

WP.29-165-17 | Acronyms/abbreviations in Vehicle Regulations Reference prepared by the WP.29 secretariat

30. The Chair of GRPE informed WP.29 that GRPE had agreed to establish a new IWG on Vehicles Interior Air Quality (VIAQ) following the guidance of WP.29 and AC.3 at their November 2014 sessions, and adopted the Terms of Reference of the IWG on VIAQ. The representative of the Republic of Korea stated the satisfaction of his country for the adoption of the Terms of Reference of the IWG by GRPE. He announced that the next meeting of the Group was scheduled to be held in Paris on 17 March 2015.

31. The GRB Chair, Mr. S. Ficheux (France), reported on the results achieved by GRB during its sixty-first session (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRB/59). In particular, he reported on the adoption of further amendments to the new 03 series of amendments to Regulation No. 51 as well as on the progress in preparing a draft Regulation on Quiet Road Transport Vehicles (QRTV) under the 1958 Agreement.

32. He further informed the World Forum that GRB had decided to combine all amendment proposals for the 03 series of amendments to Regulation No. 51 into a single document, which would be submitted to WP.29 and AC.1 for consideration and vote at their June 2015 sessions. GRB thus, recommended that WP.29 not consider the first set of proposals in ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2015/3 at this session and to wait for the full package of 03 series of amendments to Regulation No. 51 at the June 2015 session. WP.29 agreed with this recommendation.

33. The representative of the WBU recalled the specific needs of people with impaired vision and of other vulnerable road users for the audibility of electric and hybrid vehicles. He requested that the Audible Vehicle Alert System (AVAS) of QRTV fulfil the following conditions:
(a) an adequate level of sound allowing blind people to detect the presence, location and movement of a QRTV;
(b) that AVAS must be on while the vehicle is stationary; and
(c) that the driver would not be able to deactivate (or pause) AVAS.

WP.29 took note of this statement and invited GRB to take these three conditions into consideration when developing the QRTV Regulation.

34. The Chair of GRRF, Mr. B. Frost (United Kingdom), informed WP.29 about the results of GRRF during its seventy-ninth session (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/GRRF/79).

35. [The GRRF Chair] announced that GRRF had endorsed the proposed technical report corresponding to the draft Amendment 2 to UN GTR No. 3.

36. [The GRRF Chair] reported on the way GRRF received and addressed guidance from the IWG on ITS/AD on regulating vehicle automation.

37. [The GRRF Chair] informed WP.29 about the submission by GRRF of the Terms of Reference and Rules of Procedures of the IWG on Automatically Commended Steering Functions (ACSF) as reproduced in the annex of that session’s report. The World Forum endorsed the creation of the IWG on ACSF and agreed to review the draft Terms of Reference at its next session.

38. [The GRRF Chair] also announced that the IWG on the Revision of UN Regulation No. 55 (Coupling devices) would need one additional year to complete their tasks. WP.29 agreed to extend their mandate by one year.

39. He recalled the strategy previously agreed upon that an update to UN GTR No. 16 (Tyres) would be needed after its establishment in the global registry by AC.3, in order to keep the UN GTR in line with the latest regulatory developments, necessary to fulfil the objective of Phase 1 of the development of the UN GTR. The representative of the Russian Federation announced that his country would volunteer to act as the technical sponsor for this update as well as for the Phase 2 of the development of the UN GTR and to chair the corresponding informal group. WP.29 welcomed this proposal.

40. The secretariat informed the World Forum about the latest update of the status of the 1958 Agreement (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/343/Rev.23), containing the information received by the secretariat up to 20 February 2015 (available at WP.29 website). WP.29 noted that Contracting Parties should notify the secretariat about the amendments needed to the status document.

41. The secretariat reported on the progress in cooperation with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) on making the texts of private standards available to WP.29 representatives. The secretariat informed WP.29 that documents are now available, but password protected. He announced that further discussions were ongoing, investigating possibilities to share relevant standards through a virtual reading room.

42. The Chair of GRRF noted that experts from GRRF and the IWG on ITS/AD often referred to SAE standards defining different levels of automation. He questioned whether this standard could be made available to WP.29. The secretariat agreed to follow up on this matter. The World Forum agreed to continue discussing this subject at its next session.

43. The secretariat reported that the IWG on the International Whole Vehicle Type Approval (IWVTA) considered WP.29-164-10 in detail during its recent meeting held in London (5-6 March 2015). WP.29 expected to receive an updated guidance document at its June 2015 session.

44. The representative of Japan, Chair of the IWG on IWVTA, reported on the meetings of the Group on the development of draft UN Regulation No. 0 (WP.29-165-14 and WP.29-165-15). He presented an outline of UN Regulation No. 0 (WP.29-165-15) and sought the advice of WP.29 on: (i) the number of months necessary for Contracting Parties to accept IWVTA pursuant to UN Regulation No. 0 after its entry into force, (ii) resolving the uncertainty in applying UN Regulation No. 116, and (iii) a common procedure for replacement spare parts for vehicles covered by an IWVTA. He presented two options for the spare parts: (a) Contracting Parties should accept original equipment spare parts covered by IWVTA; or (b) Contracting Parties should accept all spare parts having valid UN approvals for vehicles covered by IWVTA (original equipment and aftermarket spare parts). He underlined the possibility for Contracting Parties applying UN Regulation No. 0 to not to be bound by this clause.

45. The Chair of the IWG on IWVTA reported that the Group had nearly completed the draft UN Regulation No. 0 and that it would continue to work on remaining issues, such as the definition of vehicle type. He added that the subgroup on UN Regulation No. 0 would resume deliberations in June 2015 and that the results would be reported to WP.29 at its next session.

46. The representative of EU expressed his appreciation for the work of IWG. He informed WP.29 that the EU was flexible concerning the number of months needed to accept IWVTA after its entry into force so that a period up to twelve months would be acceptable. He supported the proposed request to GRSG to consider the uncertainty issue on UN Regulation No. 116. He finally expressed the support of the EU for option (b) for spare parts.

47. The representative of the Netherlands informed WP.29 that he also preferred a period of twelve months for Contracting Parties to accept IWVTA after its entry into force and that a period of nine months would be acceptable, pending the agreement of the majority of Contracting Parties. He also supported the option (b) for spare parts.

48. The Chair of GRSG confirmed that GRSG should consider the issue of UN Regulation No. 116 and clarify the text of the Regulation, if needed. He expected that this question would be addressed by GRSG at its May 2015 session.

WP.29-165-14 | UN Regulation No. 0 (IWVTA) third draft Final version of the informal group working draft subject to resolution of open issues (in square brackets) where guidance from the World Forum/WP.29 has been requested.

WP.29-165-15/Rev.1 | Outline of UN Regulation No. 0 third draft and request for guidance from WP.29

49. The representative of Japan gave an overview of the discussions of the IWG on IWVTA. He referred to ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2015/40 and recalled the discussion of WP.29 at its previous session on the voting majority threshold. He introduced WP.29-165-04 superseding ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2015/41 aimed at amending Article 3 on special provisions. Noting that some critical comments had been received, he added that the IWG would resume discussions on this issue and report back to the June 2015 session of WP.29.

50. The representative of EU informed WP.29 that the EU Member States continue consultation on voting majority threshold and announced to provide more detailed information on a common position in the next sessions of WP.29. He raised concerns about the late submission of the amendments to Article 3 on special provisions and stressed the importance of freezing the text for the adoption process of the third Revision of the 1958 Agreement.

51. The World Forum agreed to defer discussion on this subject to its forthcoming session in June 2015. The secretariat was, thus, requested to circulate WP.29-165-04 with an official symbol.

WP.29-165-04 | Proposal to amend Article 3 of the draft revision 3 of the 1958 Agreement Certain UN Regulations contain provisions to allow for local divergence from the uniform requirements they present. The draft Revision 3 of the 1958 Agreement refers categorically to these “special provisions”. Since such provisions work against the principles of harmonization and mutual recognition of approvals, the IWVTA informal group proposes to clarify that the 1958 Agreement recognizes such provisions as existed prior to Revision 3 without institutionalizing the recourse to such deviations as a regular part of the UN regulatory process.

WP.29/2015/40 | Proposal for Revision 3 of the 1958 Agreement Proposed text, updated to reflect discussions at the June 2014 WP.29 session, to revise and update the 1958 Agreement pursuant to the project to establish an international whole vehicle type approval system.

WP.29/2015/41 | Proposal for amendments to draft Revision 3 of the 1958 Agreement Certain UN Regulations contain provisions to allow for local divergence from the uniform requirements they present. The draft Revision 3 of the 1958 Agreement refers categorically to these "special provisions". Since such provisions work against the principles of harmonization and mutual recognition of approvals, OICA proposes to clarify that the 1958 Agreement recognizes such provisions as existed prior to Revision 3 without institutionalizing the recourse to such deviations as a regular part of the UN regulatory process.

52. The Secretary of the Informal Working Group on DETA reported on the meeting of the informal group held on 9 March 2015. He noted that the financing of DETA should be included in the regular budget of the UNECE. He added that the IWG on DETA would provide guidance on DETA and the use of the Unique Identifier. He informed WP.29 that a drafting group would meet in the beginning of April and WP.29 delegates were invited to participate in this meeting. He informed WP.29 that Mr. Guiting (Netherlands) had agreed to take over the tasks of the Secretary of the IWG as of June 2015.

53. The secretariat informed WP.29 that the financing of DETA was not covered by the draft regular budget 2016/2017 of the UNECE. The secretariat offered to explore options for financing DETA by extrabudgetary resources and to present them to WP.29 at the June 2015 session.

WP.29-165-19 | Progress report of the DETA informal working group concerning IWVTA Declaration of Conformance

54. The World Forum considered the draft amendments under agenda items 4.6.1, 4.6.3 and 4.6.4 and recommended their submission to AC.1 for voting.

55. WP.29 agreed to follow the recommendation of GRB on agenda item 4.6.2, and to resume consideration of the proposal for the 03 series of amendments to Regulation No. 51 (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2015/3) at the June 2015 session (see para. 32 above).

WP.29/2015/3 | Proposal for the 03 series of amendments to Regulation No. 51 Proposal from the expert group on UN R51 and UN R59 as approved by the GRB to update the provisions of UN Regulation No. 51.

Consideration of WP.29/2015/3 for adoption postponed at the request of the GRB.

WP.29/2015/3 | Proposal for the 03 series of amendments to Regulation No. 51 Proposal from the expert group on UN R51 and UN R59 as approved by the GRB to update the provisions of UN Regulation No. 51.

56. The World Forum considered the draft amendments under items 4.7.1 to 4.7.5 and recommended their submission to AC.1 for voting, subject to the correction of para. 57 below.

57. Agenda item 4.7.4, Regulation No. 78, ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2015/9, correct to read:

Paragraph 5.1.9., correct the wording “brake a common” to read “brake, a common”.

Annex 3, paragraphs 4.2.(c), 5.2.(c) and 9.3.1.(c), correct the wording "single control" to read "single brake control".

WP.29/2015/9 | Proposal for Supplement 2 to the 03 series of amendments to Regulation No. 78 Proposal as approved by the GRRF to clarify provisions on the use of Combined Braking Systems (CBS) and make some additional editorial improvements.

58. The World Forum considered the draft amendments under items 4.8.1 to 4.8.4 and recommended their submission to AC.1 for voting.

59. The representative of AGC Glass Europe expressed his concern on the number of test cycles for plastic glazing in item 4.8.1, Regulation No. 43, and the standard deviation of the measured delta haze. He proposed that GRSG extend the mandate of the IWG on Plastic Glazing to further consider these issues. The representative of OICA expressed his view that the amendments had thoroughly been considered by the IWG. The Chair of GRSG offered to revisit, at the forthcoming session of GRSG the concerns raised by AGC Glass Europe on Regulation No. 43 and, if necessary, to extend the mandate of the IWG. The representative of Germany endorsed the proposed procedure.

WP.29/2015/11 | Proposal for Supplement 4 to the 01 series of amendments to Regulation No. 43 Proposal of the Informal Group on Plastic Glazing (IGPG) as approved by the GRSG to introduce new provisions for windscreens and for laminated plastic panes other than windscreens.

60. The World Forum considered the draft amendments under items 4.9.1 to 4.9.20 and recommended their submission to AC.1 for voting, subject to the correction of para. 61 below.

62. The representative of EU expressed concerns about the large number of supplements submitted by GRE to the present session of the World Forum. WP.29 requested GRE to address this issue. The Chair of GRE recalled the ongoing activities of the Informal Working Group on Simplification of the Lighting and Light-Signalling Regulations (SLR) whose main objective was to develop proposals on how to simplify and streamline the documentation submitted by GRE.

61. Agenda item 4.9.11, Regulation No. 50, ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2015/24, amend to read:

Page 3, table, paragraph 7.2.1., last column, replace “40” with “140”.

WP.29/2015/24 | Proposal for Supplement 17 to Regulation No. 50 Proposal as approved by the GRE to introduce the possibility of interdependent lamps for dedicated motorcycle lamps. The proposal reflects recent amendments to Regulations Nos. 6 and 7 and meets the visibility angle requirements of Regulations Nos. 50 and 53. The concern is that the rear trunk lid commonly used for four-wheeled vehicles may be adapted for future scooter type motorcycles to secure the storage space for helmet, etc. Current lamp requirements impose design constraints that may hamper the proper development of such storage features.

63. The World Forum considered the draft corrigenda under agenda item 4.10.1 and recommended its submission to AC.1 for voting.

64. The World Forum considered the draft amendment under agenda item 4.11.1 and recommended its submission to AC.1 for voting.

65. No amendment was submitted under this agenda item.

66. The World Forum considered the draft amendments under item 4.13.1 and recommended its submission to AC.1 for voting.

67. The World Forum considered ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2015/35 (to insert new categories of vehicles such as agricultural trailers and towed machinery) and adopted the draft amendments to R.E.3 under item 4.14.1.

68. The Chair of GRSG introduced ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2015/36 and ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2015/37. The World Forum decided to defer consideration of these documents to its June 2015 session.

WP.29/2015/36 | Proposal for Supplement 8 to the 01 series of amendments to Regulation No. 97 Proposal as approved by the GRSG to delete provisions regarding the optical display of the status of the vehicle alarm system outside the passenger compartment in order to avoid driver distraction by and/or confusion of such exterior lighting with primary lighting and signaling equipment required under UN R48.

WP.29/2015/37 | Proposal for Supplement 5 to Regulation No. 116 Proposal as approved by the GRSG to delete provisions regarding the optical display of the status of the vehicle alarm system outside the passenger compartment in order to avoid driver distraction by and/or confusion of such exterior lighting with primary lighting and signaling equipment required under UN R48.

69. The World Forum noted the consolidated document on the status of the Agreement (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/1073/Rev.12). WP.29 also noted that Belarus became a Contracting Party to the Agreement, effective on 3 March 2015. The secretariat reported that some Contracting Parties had fulfilled their obligation to send their status reports and final notifications on the progress of transposition of the UN GTRs, and amendments into their domestic law. The representatives of the Contracting Parties were reminded about their obligation to send the reports and final notifications on the transposition process only through their Permanent Missions in Geneva via the “1998 AGREEMENT-MISSIONS List” electronic system, as mandated by UN OLA. The World Forum noted that these reports and notifications were not processed if submitted by e-mail to the secretariat.

70. WP.29 agreed that agenda items 5.2 to 5.5 should be considered by AC.3.

71. The representative of Ecuador informed the World Forum about the great importance given by his government on the development of policies, strategies, plans and actions to reduce traffic accidents and fatalities. He underlined that a regulatory framework on safer vehicles was considered, by his country, as one of the strategic elements to reduce accidents and fatalities, since road safety would require a holistic approach. Accordingly, he informed the World Forum that a number of UN Regulations and UN GTRs had been incorporated into the national legislation of Ecuador to fulfil the need of his country to harmonize standards on vehicle manufacturing.

72. The representatives of the European Union supported this action of vehicle safety and offered the expertise of his organization to help Ecuadorian authorities in this endeavour. The expert of the United States of America made a similar statement.

73. The representatives of Malaysia informed the World Forum on the role of the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) in coping road safety issues in the ASEAN region (WP.29-165-11 and WP.29-165-12-Rev.1). He added that MIROS had been appointed as the ASEAN Road Safety Centre (ARSC) to provide information and know-how among ASEAN member States, including the development of ASEAN NCAP with the support by Global NCAP (WP.29-165-10 and WP.29-165-13-Rev.1). In the view of the expansion of capacity-buildings activities of ARSC in the APEC region, the representative of Malaysia sought possible sponsorships from countries participating in WP.29 activities. The representative of the United States of America encouraged the initiative of Malaysia that could result in new countries’ accessions to the 1958 and 1998 Agreements. The representative of OICA also welcomed the creation of the ASEAN Road Safety Centre, stressing that improvements to road safety needed an integrated approach involving all stakeholders, including the driver and the infrastructure in general.

WP.29-165-11 | ASEAN Road Safety Centre (ARSC)

WP.29-165-12/Rev.1 | Presentation on the ASEAN Road Safety Centre (ARSC)

WP.29-165-13/Rev.1 | New Car Assessment Programme For Southeast Asia (ASEAN NCAP)

74. The representative of IMMA noted the role of two-wheelers in providing mobility in many regions in the world, with its consequent impact on road safety. He highlighted the importance of the integrated approach and reminded WP.29 about the recently published report from his organization on a global approach for safer motorcycling, which provides a number of best practices.

75. The representative of Brazil announced that his Government had officially started the internal process to accede to the 1958 Agreement and assured WP.29 that it would continue to be updated on the progress of this process at future sessions.

76. The secretariat presented the consolidated document (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/1074/Rev.5) 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 and noted that no changes had been made since June 2014.

77. The representative of the Russian Federation presented WP.29-165-07 and noted that the 1997 Agreement should not only increase safety but also eliminate the barriers for implementation of the international automobile carriages. He underlined the importance of international standards incorporating the best practices in the sphere of traffic safety. He noted that the 1958 Agreement and the 1997 Agreement were becoming more interlinked as several UN Regulations under the 1958 Agreement already contain provisions relevant for Periodic Technical Inspections (PTI). He, therefore, concluded that Contracting Parties to the 1958 agreement could become Contracting Parties to the 1997 Agreement.

WP.29-165-07 | Proposals for futher development and improvement of the 1997 Vienna Agreement

78. The representative of CITA introduced informal document ITC (2015) No. 15, proposing the development of three additional rules to the 1997 Agreement: (i) requirements on the roadworthiness facilities and test equipment, (ii) requirements on the competence, training and certification of inspectors, and (iii) supervising bodies.

ITC (2015) No. 15 | Proposal with regard to a further development of the 1997 Agreement

79. The secretariat presented WP.29-165-03 and proposed to align the 1997 Agreement and its annexed rules with the new European legislation, thus including the testing of electronic safety systems into PTI. The secretariat also proposed introducing additional element to the Agreement in line with the decisions taken at the seventy-seventh ITC: (i) new Rule 3 on the equipment to be used for PTI, (ii) new Rule 4 on skills and training of staff performing PTI, and (iii) new Rule 5 on supervision and quality control of PTI centres. The secretariat also suggested that an IWG on PTI could be created to provide a platform for PTI discussions, which should result in consensus on possible amendments to existing Rules as well as the envisaged new rules. The secretariat pointed that the drafting of Rules by the IWG would smooth the decision-making process in WP.29 and AC.4.

WP.29-165-03 | The 1997 Agreement - Possible solutions and the way forward In 2014, the European Union revised its legislation on periodic inspections to ensure the roadworthiness of motor vehicles (Directive 2014/45/EU). The WP.29 secretariat has prepared this document to encourage consideration of ways to align the 1997 Agreement on vehicle technical inspections with the EU legislation towards facilitating broader participation among nations in the agreement.

80. The representative of the Russian Federation stated that, in principle, his country would support the creation of an IWG. He expressed the willingness of his country to participate in its work and addressed organizational questions related to the establishment of terms of reference and whether it should be a permanent group. He noted that items to be covered by Rules are prescribed by the Agreement (Article 1) and include elements such as vehicle categories, the equipment and/or parts to be inspected, test methods, and conditions for granting inspection certificate. The certificate shall cover date of its issue, the Rules to which the inspected vehicle shall comply and date of the subsequent inspection. He elaborated that elements proposed by the secretariat should be reflected directly in the text of the Agreement, specifically in the provisions for conformity of periodical technical inspection process.

WP.29-165-03 | The 1997 Agreement - Possible solutions and the way forward In 2014, the European Union revised its legislation on periodic inspections to ensure the roadworthiness of motor vehicles (Directive 2014/45/EU). The WP.29 secretariat has prepared this document to encourage consideration of ways to align the 1997 Agreement on vehicle technical inspections with the EU legislation towards facilitating broader participation among nations in the agreement.

81. The representative of the Netherlands stated that his country agreed with the proposal from CITA and the secretariat to create an IWG. He expressed the willingness of his country to chair it.

82. The representative of Finland welcomed the initiatives and supported the proposal. He expressed the willingness of his country to participate in the work of the group.

83. The representative of Sweden stated that, as a Member State of the EU, his country was obliged to transpose EU directives. He stated that it would be interesting to learn more about the 1997 Agreement to assess if this would be a suitable platform to develop PTI Rules. He added that, as the 1968 Vienna Convention links the usage of vehicles with PTI, the 1997 Agreement could become a cooperation platform between WP.29 and WP.1. He expressed his support for the establishment of an IWG.

84. The representative of Romania supported the establishment of the IWG and expressed the hope that this proposal would address the challenges faced by WP.29 and AC.4.

ITC (2015) No. 15 | Proposal with regard to a further development of the 1997 Agreement

WP.29-165-03 | The 1997 Agreement - Possible solutions and the way forward In 2014, the European Union revised its legislation on periodic inspections to ensure the roadworthiness of motor vehicles (Directive 2014/45/EU). The WP.29 secretariat has prepared this document to encourage consideration of ways to align the 1997 Agreement on vehicle technical inspections with the EU legislation towards facilitating broader participation among nations in the agreement.

85. The World Forum agreed to establish an IWG on PTI under the chairmanship of the Netherlands and that CITA would act as secretariat to the group. The World Forum requested the group to draft its Terms of Reference and submit them to the November 2015 session of WP.29.

WP.29-165-03 | The 1997 Agreement - Possible solutions and the way forward In 2014, the European Union revised its legislation on periodic inspections to ensure the roadworthiness of motor vehicles (Directive 2014/45/EU). The WP.29 secretariat has prepared this document to encourage consideration of ways to align the 1997 Agreement on vehicle technical inspections with the EU legislation towards facilitating broader participation among nations in the agreement.

86. The representative of the Russian Federation presented the informal documents that were prepared together with CITA. He proposed to include each of them in a separate Rule to be annexed to the 1997 Agreement.

87. The World Forum decided to refer both informal documents to the IWG on PTI and agreed that the proposals, once revised by the IWG, would be further considered at one of the next WP.29 meetings.

WP.29-165-05 | Minimum inspection requirements for electric and hybrid-electric vehicles

WP.29-165-06 | Minimum inspection requirements for vehicles powered with LPG and СNG

88. The representative of the United States of America informed the World Forum about the outcome of the last meeting of the Enforcement Working Group (EWG), (Geneva, 13 November 2014) (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/1112, para. 80) and announced that the next meeting of the EWG would be held on 25 June 2015 at 3:30 following the forty-fourth session of the Administrative Committee of the 1998 Agreement. He encouraged WP.29 representatives to participate actively at the EWG meeting, as already announced by Canada and the Netherlands.

89. The World Forum was informed by the secretariat of the Working Party on Road Safety (WP.1) about its work progress. She recalled her previous update on the status of proposal amendments related to Articles 8 and 39 of the 1968 Convention on Road Traffic. She added that the Secretary-General of the United Nations had issued a depositary notification on 23 September 2014 and that, if no objection was raised by the Contracting Parties, the proposed amendment would enter into force in the spring 2016. She reported that, at its upcoming seventieth session, WP.1 would resume consideration on amendment proposals related to lights and light-signalling (Chapter II of Annex 5 to 1968 Vienna Convention) and that as part of this discussion, WP.1 would also consider new proposals from IMMA and Laser Europe.

90. In response to questions, the secretariat of WP.1 clarified that Contracting Parties have 12 months to reject the amendments or propose a conference to discuss the issue. She added that if no more than 1/3 of the Contraction Parties object during the 12-month period, the amendment would come into force after a further six-month period. She noted that so far she was not aware of any objections, but that this information was with Office of Legal Affairs (OLA), who would report in due course. She also clarified that there was an item in the agenda of the next session of WP.1 to discuss steps to go even further in allowing automated driving (WP.1 Informal document No. 2).

WP.1 Informal No. 2 | Autonomous Driving Document submitted to the UN Road Safety Forum (WP.1) describing and analyzing the role of the driver in a vehicle with a more advanced level of automation.

91. The Chair of WP.29 recalled that WP.29/AC.3 had adopted the Electric Vehicle Reference Guide during its November 2014 session and had requested the secretariat, together with the lead team of EVE, to determine how to label and locate the document on the UNECE website. The secretary of GRPE informed the World Forum about the solution proposed to publish the adopted Electric Vehicle Reference Guide on the homepage of the UNECE/WP.29 website in the Reference Material section. WP.29 supported it.

WP.29/2014/81 | Proposal for an Electric Vehicle Regulatory Reference Guide The document prepared by the Electic Vehicles-Environment informal group to serve as a comprehensive guide to the worldwide landscape of environmentally-related requirements specific to electrified vehicles as of September 2013.

92. The secretariat presented ECE/TRANS/2015/13, adopted by ITC at its February 2015 session. WP.29 noted that the document represents the midterm review of the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011 to 2020, including the results of the World Forum on the development of UN Regulations and UN GTRs to make vehicles safer.

TRANS/2015/13 | The Inland Transport Committee and Road Safety – Mid-term review of the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety (2011–2020)

93. WP.29 noted the outcome of special session (Geneva, 2 July 2014) as reflected in Annex III to the report of the session ECE/EB.AIR/WG5/112 .

94. The World Forum adopted the report and its annexes on the basis of a draft prepared by the secretariat. The report includes the sections related to the Administrative Committee of the 1958 Agreement and to the Executive Committee of the 1998 Agreement.

95. Of the 51 Contracting Parties to the Agreement, 39 were represented and established AC.1 for its fifty-ninth session held on 11 March 2015.

96. AC.1 invited Mr. B. Kisulenko, Chair of WP.29, to chair the session.

98. The forty-third session of the Executive Committee (AC.3) was held on 12 March 2015 and chaired by the representative of the United Kingdom. The representatives of 14 of the 35 Contracting Parties to the Agreement attended: Australia, Azerbaijan, Canada, China, the European Union (representing Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom), India, Japan, Malaysia, Norway, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Russian Federation, South Africa and the United States of America.

99. At the proposal of the representative from the European Commission, Mr. I. Yarnold (EU) was unanimously elected as Chair; Japan and the United States of America were unanimously elected as Vice-Chairs for 2015.

100. AC.3 noted the information, as of 2 March 2015, on the status of the Agreement (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/1073/Rev.12), the status of the priorities (based on WP.29-165-08 as reproduced in Annex II to this report) of the Agreement and items on which the exchange of views should continue. The secretariat reminded AC.3 that all communication regarding status reports on transposition of gtrs should be sent to the secretariat electronically. AC.3 also noted that assistance might be obtained from the secretariat (Mr. E. Gianotti) concerning the obligations of Contracting Parties on the transposition process.

101. Submitted for consideration and vote, the proposal for Amendment 2 to draft UN GTR on motorcycle braking (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2015/38, ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2015/39, ECE/TRANS/WP.29/AC.3/37) was established in the UN Global Registry on 12 March 2015 by consensus vote of the following Contracting Parties present and voting: Australia, Canada, China, European Union (voting for Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom), India, Japan, Norway, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Russian Federation, South Africa and United States of America.

102. AC.3 adopted ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2015/38 with the following typographical change by introducing a missing comma:

The amendments to page 5, para. 3.1.9, second line<§i>, correct to read:

“..may share a common break, a common transmission…”

103. Submitted for consideration and vote, the proposal for Amendment 3 to draft UN GTR on Worldwide Heavy-Duty Certification procedure (WHDC) (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2014/84, ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2014/85, ECE/TRANS/WP.29/AC.3/29, ECE/TRANS/WP.29/AC.3/38) was established in the UN Global Registry on 12 March 2015 by consensus vote of the following Contracting Parties present and voting: Australia, Canada, China, European Union (voting for Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom), India, Japan, Norway, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Russian Federation, South Africa and United States of America.

WP.29/2014/84 | Proposal for draft Amendment 3 to Global Technical Regulation No. 4 Draft Amendment 3 to Global Technical Regulation (GTR) No. 4 concerning heavy-duty hybrids as approved by the Working Party on Pollution and Energy.

WP.29/2014/85 | Proposal for the Technical Report on the development of Amendment 3 to Global Technical Regulation No. 4

104. The representative of the United States of America reported on the activities of his country on correlation verification between the two test procedures (in Annexes IX and X). He reported that, at this point, the EPA had completed the powertrain testing according to the procedures in the UN GTR, noting that additional work would be needed. He stated that appropriate support from manufacturers was critical for completing a proper correlation assessment and for future certification and type approval activities, as the Hardware In the Loop Simulation (HILS) testing required a significant amount of proprietary information. He added that in order for the procedure to be transparent and reproducible, the manufacturers would need to commit to providing support information including digital, analog and CAN signals, as well as the required hardware. He concluded that EPA would need to complete a full correlation study before undertaking the implementation process to address the identified questions. He expected this work to be done through the efforts at GRPE. He was confident that the powertrain procedure could produce repeatable and representative results.

[GAR note pending publication of official session report: Amendment 3 (documents WP.29/2014/84 and WP.29/2014/85) is unanimously adopted by the Contracting Parties present, including EU, USA, Japan, China, and others. US EPA notes a number of open issues concerning discrepancies in results achieved during extensive testing which will need to be resolved in the next phase of development. Nonetheless, the US reaffirms their belief that the test methodology is essentially sound and votes to adopt the amendment.]

WP.29/2014/84 | Proposal for draft Amendment 3 to Global Technical Regulation No. 4 Draft Amendment 3 to Global Technical Regulation (GTR) No. 4 concerning heavy-duty hybrids as approved by the Working Party on Pollution and Energy.

WP.29/2014/85 | Proposal for the Technical Report on the development of Amendment 3 to Global Technical Regulation No. 4

105. The secretariat reminded AC.3 that a number of technical regulations listed in the Compendium of Candidate (see ECE/TRANS/WP.29/1073/Rev.12, Chapter IV) should be voted on at its June 2015 session to determine whether they should be re-affirmed or removed from the Compendium.

106. The representative of the EU informed AC.3 that the IWG on Environmental and Propulsion Performance Requirements (EPPR) had reported to GRPE in January that EPPR preferred a stand-alone OBD regulation. He added that the main justification for this conclusion was based on five elements: (i) the transposition of the regulations of the 1998 Agreement into the regulations of the 1958 Agreement was deemed much more complex if the requirements would be integrated into UN GTR No. 5, (ii) Contracting Parties might find it less complicated to accede to a stand-alone UN GTR than a UN GTR including requirements and procedures for both Heavy Duty (HD) diesel OBD and Powered Two-Wheelers (PTWs), (iii) alignment with UN GTR No.5 would be difficult because EPPR is considering a staged OBD approach, (iv) the OBD concept in UN GTR No. 5 is different than the EPPR concept, and (v) interpretation on the use of OBD and priorities may be different for PTWs and HD diesel vehicles. He added that the conclusions from the IWG on EPPR were endorsed by GRPE at its January session.
107. The representative from IMMA fully supported the creation of a separate UN GTR.

108. The representative of the United Kingdom recalled that the structure of UN GTR No. 5 was designed in such a way that further vehicle categories could be included. He added that a generic protocol was chosen that could be used for various vehicle categories including low volume vehicle types with the intention to permit relevant economies of scale. He expressed the view that the motorcycle industry might lose this opportunity if a new separate UN GTR on OBD for Category 3 vehicles was chosen, depending on how much would be taken over from UN GTR No. 5.

109. The representative of Germany supported the creation of a new UN GTR, and added that a case-by-case assessment should be made to determine if the goal was to create gtrs based on vehicle category or on areas related to horizontal items.

110. The representatives of Japan expressed their country’s support for the proposal, anticipating that Contracting Parties might find it less complicated to accede to a stand-alone UN GTR for Category 3 vehicles than an amendment to UN GTR No. 5.

111. AC.3 recommended at this stage that the IWG continue to work on the creation of a new specific UN GTR.

112. The representative of the European Commission reminded AC.3 that the IWG on EPPR had a mandate to work both under the 1998 and the 1958 Agreement, and that in 2013 the Group had decided discuss the following five gtrs: (i) revision and update for technical progress in UN GTR No 2, (ii) a new UN GTR on test types III and IV (crank case emissions and evaporative emission), (iii) a new UN GTR on test type V (durability requirements of pollutant control devices), (iv) a new UN GTR on-board diagnostics, and (v) a new UN GTR on propulsion unit performance requirements regarding harmonized test methods with respect to measuring the maximum vehicle speed, maximum torque and power of the propulsion unit. He noted that the aim was to submit a final draft version as an informal document to the June GRPE session. He informed AC.3 that the discussions on amending UN GTR No. 2 had started and that priority had been given by the Group to amend test Types I, II and VII and dedicate separate sections to the topics that required a change in the current structure of the gtr. He noted that an extension of the mandate would be discussed at the next meeting. He added that, the tenth meeting of this IWG was scheduled to take place in Brussels on 18 -20 March 2015.

113. This agenda item was discussed with item 14.1, see paras. 101 and 102.

114. This agenda item was discussed with item 14.2, see paras. 103 and 104.

115. The representative of the Republic of Korea reported that the new IWG on Panoramic Sunroof Glazing (PSG) expected to convene on 4 May 2015 in conjunction with the forthcoming GRSG session. He announced the Group’s intention to finalize the Terms of Reference and Rules of Procedures. He confirmed that the Republic of Korea would chair the informal working group and act as a technical sponsor. He invited all interested delegates to participate in the informal meeting. AC.3 endorsed the request for authorization to develop an amendment to UN GTR No. 6 (ECE/TRANS/WP.29/2015/42).

WP.29/2015/42 | Request for authorization to develop amendments to GTR No. 6 Request for authorization to develop an amendment to GTR No. 6 (and thus UN Regulation No. 43) to establish test procedures and performance requirements for panoramic sunroof glazing.

116. The representative of the United Kingdom, Chair of the IWG on Phase 2 of UN GTR No. 7, informed AC.3 about the ongoing progress of his Group. He reported that, while good progress had been made on the performance of the anthropometric test device (ATD), more work was required to develop the correlation between the human and the ATD response in order to establish pass/fail criteria. He agreed to provide an official report to the June 2015 session of AC.3. He noted the good cooperation between the IWG and the ATD manufacturer in developing the complimentary entry to Mutual Resolution 1 (M.R.1). He confirmed that the proposal for Addendum 1 to M.R.1 would be provided in parallel with the proposal for Amendment 1 to UN GTR No. 7.

117. The representative of the United States of America informed AC.3 about phase 2 of the Pedestrian UN GTR. He indicated that his country preferred that the Injury Assessment Reference Values (IARV) remain optional so that Contracting Parties could develop appropriate values for their domestic regulations based on local injury risk curves. He informed the World Forum that his administration had published research on injury risk curves for probability of injury as a function of flexible lower legform (FlexPLI) ligament elongation. He clarified that this publication had been submitted to the IWG and can also be accessed directly from the NHTSA Docket (Docket number: NHTSA-2008-0145-0013). He reported that his administration had also begun development of a costs and benefits analysis that is expected to be completed in late 2015. Concerning the bumper test area, he informed AC.3 that the IWG agreed to accept a proposal tabled by the Federal Highway Research Institute (BASt) of Germany that would limit the minimum test area. The representative of the United States of America invited WP.29 representatives to provide comments on a new proposal on the headform test procedure that was expected to be issued prior to the upcoming June session of WP.29.

118. The representative of Germany, Chair of GRPE, reported that Phase 1b was under development and that an informal document was expected to be ready for consideration in June 2016. He noted the Group was well on schedule and that the next meeting would be held in Sweden in mid-April 2015. He added that the planning of Phase 2 had begun and that Japan had circulated a questionnaire to determine what items should be discussed in Phase 2. He added also that the European Union had started transposing the UN GTR No. 15 into EU regulation and would consequently propose introducing UN GTR No. 15 into a new UN Regulation under the 1958 agreement. He noted that the discussion would be continued in June and that he could report on further progress at the June session of AC.3.

119. The representative of the United States of America informed AC.3 that the IWG for Electric Vehicles Safety (EVS) last met in the Republic of Korea in November 2014 and that several web-conferences had been held for each of the eight Task Force (TF) groups. He clarified that each TF had provided updates on their activities: (i) Rechargeable Electrical Energy Storage Systems (REESS) in-use test protocol, (ii) Cell/Module/System test, (iii) state of charge of batteries (SOC), (iv) fire resistance, (v) protection against water intrusion, (vi) electrolyte leakage, (vii) low electric energy and (viii) inclusion of other vehicle classes). However, he clarified that not all TF had made equally good progress and there were still technical challenges to be addressed. He added that the IWG also endorsed a new TF to address the REESS and vehicle communication. He clarified that this TF would work on the proper warning to the driver in an event of battery management system failure, REESS safety issues such as thermal runaway, and charge level indicator. He also added that at this last meeting, the experts from Contracting Parties and the industry had provided updates on their research and analysis of EV and battery, specifically, on the ongoing research in the United States of America. He underlined the importance for experts of IWG to continue research and analysis to develop a robust draft UN GTR that is fully supported by science and technically justified. He finally announced that the next meetings of the IWG were scheduled for: (i) the week 16-20 of March 2015 in Paris, (ii) June 2015 in the United States of America and (iii) September 2015 in China.

120. The representative of the United States of America informed AC.3 that, pending the publication of a new USA Federal Standard on this issue, which was expected in the fall of 2015, the IWG on QRTV had not met. He added that, at the next session of WP.29 in June 2015, the World Forum might be requested to extend the mandate of this IWG that would expire in November 2015. The Chair of GRB recalled that GRB had established another IWG to draft a UN Regulation on QRTV under the 1958 Agreement. He informed the World Forum that IWG on QRTV Regulation was making good progress and that its next meeting was scheduled for May 2015 in the Republic of Korea. WP.29 noted that the draft UN GTR on QRTV would have to take into account both the draft QRTV Regulation under the 1958 Agreement and the new USA Federal Standard.

121. No new information was provided for this agenda item.

122. The Chair of AC.3 recalled the discussion of this week on this subject (see agenda item 2.3, paras. 16 to 18).

123. No new information was provided for this agenda item.

124. No new information was provided for this agenda item.

125. The representative of Canada informed AC.3 that since the last meeting of WP.29, one meeting of the IWG on EVE had taken place in January 2015 in conjunction with the GRPE session. She reported on the Part A work in each topic area of the new EVE mandate. China would lead the work item on the method of stating energy consumption, the United States of America and Canada would lead the work on the battery performance and durability provisions while Germany and the Republic of Korea would lead the work on the determination of the power of electric vehicles. The group was targeting fall 2015 to complete this phase of work. She added that good progress had been made on the first part of the EVE mandate, that all topic areas were being explored and that the next meeting would take place on 20 April 2015.

126. No new information was provided for this agenda item.

127. No new information was provided for this agenda item.

128. No new information was provided for this agenda item.

129. The representative of the United Kingdom recalled the ongoing discussion on UN GTR No. 16, to be updated taking into account the latest regulatory developments. He noted that UN GTR No. 16 lagged behind UN Regulation No. 117, and a formal request to further develop UN GTR No. 16 would be made at the June session of AC.3.

130. The representative of the Russian Federation announced their readiness to be the technical sponsors of the gtr. The representative of the United States of America recalled that several issues could be addressed either within Phase 1B or Phase 2 of the development of the UN GTR. He added that if the work on the gtr progressed, the United States of America would like to be involved in the work.

131. The Chair of AC.3 urged the representatives of the EU, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and industry to discuss what items should be included in each of the development phases for the gtr.

132. The Chair of AC.3 suggested that in the November session of AC.3, it would be good to take stock of work priorities and determine the relevant topics for the future.

133. No new information was provided for this agenda item.

134. Following the recommendation of WP.29, the Administrative Committee AC.4 did not convene (see para. 7).

135. No supplementary information was provided beyond agenda item 7.2. (see paras. 86 to 87 above).

136. No subject was raised under this item.