31.3.2016   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 82/1

(1)

Regulation (EC) No 715/2007 requires the Commission to keep under review the procedures, tests and requirements for type-approval that are set out in Commission Regulation (EC) No 692/2008 (2) and to adjust them so that they adequately reflect the emissions generated by real driving on the road, if necessary.

(2)

The Commission has performed a detailed analysis in this respect on the basis of own research and external information and found that emissions generated by real driving on the road of Euro 5/6 vehicles substantially exceed the emissions measured on the regulatory new European driving cycle (NEDC), in particular with respect to NOx emissions of diesel vehicles.

(3)

Type-approval emission requirements for motor vehicles have been tightened significantly through the introduction and subsequent revision of Euro standards. While vehicles in general have delivered substantial emission reductions across the range of regulated pollutants, this is not true of NOx emissions from diesel engines (especially light-duty vehicles). Actions for correcting this situation are therefore needed. Addressing the problem of NOx emissions from diesel engines should contribute to decrease the current sustained high levels of NO2 concentrations in ambient air, which are particularly related to those emissions and are a major concern regarding human health, as well as a challenge regarding compliance with Directive 2008/50/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (3).

(4)

The Commission has established in January 2011 a working group involving all interested stakeholders for developing a real driving emission (RDE) test procedure better reflecting emissions measured on the road. For this purpose the technical option suggested in Regulation (EC) No 715/2007, i.e. the use of portable emission measurement systems (PEMS) and not-to-exceed (NTE) regulatory concepts has been followed.

(5)

In order to allow manufacturers gradually to adapt to the RDE requirements, the respective test procedures should be introduced in two phases as agreed with stakeholders in the Cars 2020 process (4): during a first transitional period the test procedures should only be applied for monitoring purposes, while afterwards they should be applied together with binding quantitative RDE requirements to all new type-approvals/new vehicles. The final quantitative RDE requirements will be introduced in two subsequent steps.

(6)

Quantitative RDE requirements should be established in order to limit tailpipe emissions under all normal conditions of use pursuant to the emission limits set out in Regulation (EC) No 715/2007. For that purpose statistical and technical uncertainties of the measurement procedures should be taken into account.

(7)

An individual RDE test at the initial type-approval cannot cover the full range of relevant traffic and ambient conditions. Therefore in-service-conformity testing is of utmost importance for ensuring that a widest possible range of such conditions is covered by a regulatory RDE test, thereby providing for compliance with the regulatory requirements under all normal conditions of use.

(8)

For small-volume manufacturers the execution of PEMS tests according to the envisaged procedural requirements may constitute a significant burden that is not in balance with the expected environmental benefit. It is therefore appropriate to allow for some specific exemptions for those manufacturers. Real driving emissions test procedure should be updated and improved if necessary to reflect, e.g., changes in vehicle technology. To assist the revision procedure, vehicle and emissions data obtained during the transitional period should be considered.

(9)

In order to allow approval authorities and manufacturers to put in place the necessary procedures to comply with the requirements of this Regulation, it should apply from 1 January 2016.

(10)

It is therefore appropriate to amend Regulation (EC) No 692/2008 accordingly.

(11)

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Technical Committee — Motor Vehicles,

(1)

In Article 2, the following points 41 and 42 are added:

(2)

In Article 3, the following paragraph 10 is added:

‘10.   The manufacturer shall ensure that, throughout the normal life of a vehicle which is type-approved in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 715/2007, its emissions as determined in accordance with the requirements set out in Annex IIIA to this Regulation and emitted at an RDE test performed in accordance with that Annex, shall not exceed the values set out therein.

Type-approval in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 715/2007 may only be issued if the vehicle is part of a validated PEMS test family according to Appendix 7 of Annex IIIA.

Until the adoption of specific values for the parameters CFpollutan t in the table of point 2.1 of Annex IIIA to this Regulation, the following provisions shall apply:

(3)

In Article 6, paragraph 1, the fourth subparagraph is replaced by the following:

‘The requirements of Regulation (EC) No 715/2007 shall be deemed to be met if all the following conditions are fulfilled:

(4)

Annex I, point 2.4.1, Figure I.2.4, is amended as follows:

(5)

A new Annex IIIA is inserted as set out in the Annex to this Regulation.