Brussels, 17/11/2011 (Agence Europe) - The EU, the United States and Japan have agreed on international rules to promote the development and speedier diffusion of electric vehicles.
The three major OECD economies agreed on 17 November, in Geneva, under the aegis of the United Nations, to cooperate in fostering convergence in regulatory obligations relating to electric vehicles across the globe. This will lead to cost savings through economies of scale for automotive manufacturers, who currently produce only relatively small volumes of electric vehicles worldwide.
Under the agreement for cooperation sealed in the form of a decision by the World Forum for Harmonisation of Vehicle Regulations, also known as Working Party 29 (WP 29), two informal working groups on electric vehicles will be created in line with the 1998 Global Technical Regulation (GTR). Although the international agreement is the work of the European Commission, US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Environment Protection Agency (EPA), as well as the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, working groups will be open to all contracting countries of the United Nations agreement concerned, including India and China. The first group will deal with safety aspects of electric vehicles and their components, including the battery, and the protection of occupants against electric shocks when using the vehicle, when recharging the battery and after an accident. The second group will be responsible for the environmental and regulatory aspects applying to electric vehicles. The aim of the two groups is to exchange information on current and future regulatory initiatives on electric vehicles, to avoid pointless differences between regulatory approaches, and, if possible, to develop common requirements in the form of a GTR.
The World Forum for Harmonisation of Vehicle Regulations (WP 29) operates under the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), located in Geneva. It defines a large number of international vehicle regulations, covering safety and environmental requirements for cars and other vehicles. The aim of the Forum is to promote harmonised technical requirements which reduce development costs and avoid duplication of administrative procedures for industry and therefore contribute to economic efficiency and lower costs for consumers and society. Complementary to a 1958 agreement, the 1998 agreement establishes a process whereby countries from all regions of the world can jointly develop GTRs for vehicles and their components. At the present time, contracting parties to the 1998 agreement include the EU, Japan, USA, Korea, China and India. (EH/transl.jl)