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The 29th April 2009 saw the extension of EC Whole Vehicle Type Approval (ECWVTA) to cover new categories of vehicle for the first time. Almost one year on, Mike Protheroe, senior project manager at the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA), the UK type approval authority, discusses
Regular readers should hopefully be aware that Directive 2007/46/EC, as amended, came into effect 29 April 2009. The main effect of the Directive was to extend the European type approval scheme to cover buses, coaches, vans, trucks, trailers and some special purpose vehicles (such as wheelchair accessible vehicles). The legislation applies in stages between April 2009 and October 2014, depending on vehicle category.
When considering potential routes to approval there are a number of options, ranging from full ECWVTA through to less onerous national schemes like National Small Series Type Approval (NSSTA) and Individual Vehicle Approval (IVA). The route you take will be influenced by your particular business model. If you intend to export your product to Europe then ECWVTA will probably be the most appropriate route as it is accepted across the community. If you are a low volume manufacturer then the other routes, NSSTA or IVA may be more suitable. Importers, manufactures and converters of the vehicles mentioned above will be affected, as will those who buy and sell such vehicles. In view of this is it is essential that those involved understand the implications of the change and where they can go to get help.
Support
Over the last few years, VCA has supported an ongoing communications campaign to provide the information needed by industry and this will continue. Other transport agencies such as the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA), the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) and the Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) in Northern Ireland have also been involved in the campaign and hopefully many readers will have been touched by this process already.
The core message continues to be the importance of engaging with this change as early as possible to avoid the implications of arriving at your application date without the appropriate approval. This message remains unchanged now that the legislation is in force and the agencies mentioned above are all on hand to support you through this.
One of the key benefits of the change in legislation is that it makes the certification process much more straightforward for those exporting product to Europe; no need to obtain certification to a myriad of national standards. Early adopters will be able to take advantage of this as soon as they obtain ECWVTA. Even if you are intending to look at the available national schemes as an alternative to ECWVTA, there is a lot to be said for making early preparations.
Who is affected?
Legislation will apply to a number of vehicle categories during 2010, including: - Incomplete and complete M2 vehicles (vehicles with more than eight seats), typically minibuses
- Incomplete and complete M3 vehicles (vehicles with more than eight seats and a maximum mass exceeding five tonnes), typically buses and coaches
Vehicles in these categories, that are of an ‘existing type’, must comply with the requirements by 29 October 2010 and after this date cannot be registered without a valid EC Certificate of Conformity (CoC) or an alternative under the national regulations.
- Incomplete and Complete N1 vehicles (goods vehicles having a maximum mass not exceeding 3.5 tonnes)
Vehicles in this category, which are of a ‘new type’, must comply with the requirements by 29 October 2010.
Complete vehicles are those which are built in a single stage, so typically, OEMs or bespoke manufacturers would be affected.
Incomplete vehicles must undergo at least one further stage of build in order to be considered a finished vehicle, ready for use. For example, a chassis cab is an incomplete vehicle since a body must be added for it to be finished.
Completed vehicles have been built in more than one stage, normally by two or more different manufacturers. For example, a concrete mixer where a company has added the additional components (i.e. the mixer itself) to a cab chassis and the vehicle requires no further work before it can be considered finished.
Certification options are explained in brief here but more information is available from any of the contact points shown.
Approval routes
- European Community Whole Vehicle Type Approval (ECWVTA) – This route to approval is aimed at volume manufacturers/importers and those wishing to export products to Europe without further testing. For more information contact VCA
- National Small Series Type Approval (NSSTA) – This approval route is aimed at vehicles manufactured in limited numbers and acceptance is only guaranteed in the Member State where the certification was issued. There are limitations on numbers (75, 250 or 500 per type per year depending on the kind of vehicle). For more information contact VCA.
- Individual Vehicle Approval (IVA) – Aimed at one-off vehicles or those manufactured in very limited numbers acceptance is again only guaranteed in the Member State where the certification was issued. For more information contact VOSA.
For more information
For further information or to find specific contacts, visit the following Government websites:
DfT: Directive and policy information – www.dft.gov.uk/typeapproval
VCA: Type approval services – www.vca.gov.uk
DVLA: Vehicle registration – www.businesslink.gov.uk
DVA: Services in Northern Ireland Vehicle registration and Individual Vehicle Approval – www.dvani.gov.uk
VOSA: Individual Vehicle Approval services – www.businesslink.gov.uk |
