For further information and to keep up to date withdevelopments regarding ECWVTA, visit yourtrade association or the following Government websites:

VCA http://www.vca.gov.ukVOSA http://www.transportoffice.gov.ukDVA http://www.dvani.gov.ukDVLA http://www.dvla.gov.uk

INFORMATION AT YOUR FINGERTIPS

This CD provides the information you need in one place. It illustrates how the new legislation applies to buses and coaches, trucks and vans, trailers and other special purpose vehicles. Special purpose vehicles will include motor caravans, ambulances, hearses, armoured cars, and wheelchair accessible vehicles.

1

During October 2007, the approval framework was amended by Directive 2007/46/EC and as such, a European-wide approach will apply to vehicles not previously covered (including buses, coaches, vans, trucks, trailers and some other special purpose vehicles)...

The new arrangements start in April 2009 and will be phased in over a number of years (see time line on pages 2 & 3).

This change is important to you if you manufacture, import or convert the vehicles listed above. If you buy or sell vehicles you need to understand this too. Remember that when the legislation applies for your vehicle type, no approval means no sale!

However, the legislation recognises that full European type approval will not suit everyone and as such some National alternatives will exist, including an Individual Vehicle Approval scheme. The purpose of this publication is to provide the guidance you need to help you to decide on the option that suits you best.

introduction

2 3

OCtObEr 20072007/46/EC came into force.

29th OCtObEr 2011Light vans and trucks built in one stage or first stage of a multi-stage build. Minibuses, buses and coaches built in multiple stages.

29th OCtObEr 2010Minibuses, buses and coaches built in one stage or first stage of a multi-stage build.

29th ApriL 2012Special purpose passenger vehicles (such as motor caravans, ambulances, hearses and armoured cars).

29th OCtObEr 2012Medium/heavy vans, trucks and trailers built in one stage or first stage of a multi-stage build.

29th ApriL 2013Light vans and trucks built in multiple stages.

29th OCtObEr 2013trailers built in multiple stages.

29th OCtObEr 2014Medium and heavy trucks built in multiple stages and other special purpose vehicles, such as mobile cranes and trailer caravans.

typE ApprOvAL rEguLAtiOnS COME intO fOrCE fOr thE fOLLOwing vEhiCLES:

Time line

29th ApriL 2009type approval is available (on a voluntary basis) for any vehicle type.

*SvA becomes **ivA for passenger Cars. SvA for light vans and trucks will continue until October 2011.

Dates from which vehicles must be approved. See the full timeline on the attached CD for more information.

The amended legislation will affect a number of vehicle types for the first time, so if you are involved in the manufacture, conversion, import/export, sale or purchase of such vehicles you are likely to be affected to a greater or lesser extent. The chart opposite illustrates how the vehicles are described in the legislation so you can see which applies to you and the time line below shows the key dates by which your vehicle must be approved. Voluntary approval is available from April 2009; planning ahead will ensure that you are well prepared for this key change in the way you do business.

Whole Vehicle Type Approval authorises a manufacturer to:

• Produce vehicles to a proven specification and,

• Self-certify these as compliant with relevant legislation.

Two fundamental requirements are:

• Meeting the technical and administrative requirements and capturing the design.

• Ensuring that subsequent production vehicles are manufactured in conformance with the approved design.

Will you be affecTed?

Type approval in a nuTshell

pASSEngEr vEhiCLES

Kind of vehicle Description weight range

M1 No more than 8 seats in addition to driver’s seat

Not applicable

M2 More than 8 seats in addition to driver’s seat

5t or less

M3 More than 8 seats in addition to driver’s seat

Over 5t

M1Special purpose

Motor caravans, ambulances, hearses, armoured cars, wheelchair-accessible vehicles

Not applicable

gOODS vEhiCLES

n1 Light vans and trucks 3.5t or less

n2 Mid size vans and trucks Over 3.5t and not more than 12t

n3 Heavy vans and trucks Over 12t

trAiLErS

O1 Very light trailers 0.75t or less

O2 Light trailers Over 0.75t and not more than 3.5t

O3 Medium trailers Over 3.5t and not more than 10t

O4 Heavy trailers Over 10t

vehicle caTegory charT

3*SvA=SingLE vEhiCLE ApprOvAL **ivA=inDiviDuAL vEhiCLE ApprOvAL

4 5

WhaT are The pros and cons of each approval rouTe?

pros (Advantages) Cons (Disadvantages)

ECwvtA • Test one vehicle of each type only.

• ‘Worst case’ may be used to cover other variants.

• No additional cost per vehicle.

• Once approved, you can build unlimited numbers of vehicles of the same type and sell them across the EC without further inspections.

• High initial costs.

• Ongoing Conformity of Production requirements.

• Full documentation required.

• Full test requirements must be met.

• Formal link between stage manufacturers required.

nSStA • More flexible interpretation of Conformity of Production requirements.

• Some technical requirements reduced.

• Inspections carried out at the manufacturer’s premises.

• Once approved, you can build more vehicles of the same type and sell them across the UK without further inspections.

• No formal link with stage 1 manufacturer required (Multi-stage build).

• High initial costs.

• Numbers of vehicles limited to 75, 250 or 500 per type per year depending on the kind of vehicle.

• Gives sales rights only within the UK.

• Formal link between stage manufacturers required.

• Ongoing Conformity of Production requirements.

ivA • No formal link with stage 1 manufacturer required (Multi-stage build).

• No Conformity of Production requirements.

• Suits one offs or bespoke vehicle.

• Every vehicle has to be inspected and a certificate issued.

• Every vehicle has to be inspected by an examiner at an approved site. This will be done by VOSA (Mainland GB) or DVA (Northern Ireland).

• Higher cost per vehicle.

• Gives sales rights only within the UK, not automatically throughout the rest of Europe.

• Logistics of transporting/moving vehicles to an approved site.

vehicle ApprovAl: your options:As mentioned earlier, full EC whole vehicle type approval (ECwvtA) won’t suit everyone, particularly those manufacturing vehicles in low numbers. because of this there will be three routes to approval:

• European Community Whole Vehicle type Approval (ECwvtA).

• National Small Series Type Approval (NSSTA).

• Individual Vehicle Approval (IVA).

Each of the potential approval routes will have their own merits and you may choose to use one or a combination of all three. To illustrate the point the table on the next page outlines the key issues with each. This will start to give you a feel for the option(s) that will suit your business model. More detailed information is supplied in the following section.

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If you make large numbers of vehicles each year and/or you plan to sell across Europe, ECWVTA is the option for you.

The European approval system is based on the concept of ‘type approval’ and put simply; this process provides a mechanism for ensuring that vehicles meet relevant environmental and safety standards. Because it is not practical to test every single vehicle made, one production vehicle is tested as being representative of the ‘type’. A number of performance requirements will apply to a given vehicle type ranging from tyres through to exhaust emissions and braking systems. To ensure a consistent approach, the test methodology is outlined in the relevant EC Directive or ECE Regulation and the tests are carried out at an appropriate facility. If you are a vehicle manufacturer, your supply chain will probably have system and component approvals in place already.

Once all of the system and component approvals are in place, the vehicle will be considered as a whole by a designated approval body, in the UK this is VCA. This inspection can take place at your facility, providing you have the appropriate equipment and environment. A successful inspection will result in the issue of a European Whole Vehicle Type Approval Certificate. This certification will be accepted throughout the EU without the need for further testing until a standard is updated or your design changes. Once a vehicle is approved, the manufacturer should have processes in place to produce a Certificate of Conformity (CofC) for each vehicle manufactured.

Conformity of Production (CoP) is part of the approval process. Essentially, this involves the evaluation of your manufacturing processes to ensure that each product is manufactured in accordance with the approved specification. If you have a formal quality system in place, such as ISO 9001 or ISO/TS 16949, the level of CoP inspection may be reduced.

ecWvTa – european communiTy Whole vehicle Type approval

vehicle ApprovAl: routes in more detAilnow that you know the background to the approval process you should be getting a feel for the approval route, or combination of routes, that would best suit you. the following is intended to give a bit more detail for each of the options, including a projection of likely costs.

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If you manufacture modest numbers of vehicles then this route to approval may be right for you. Again, this option is based on the concept of ‘type’ approval rather than the approval of individual vehicles. The key advantages of this scheme are that some technical requirements may be reduced, which has an impact on the costs associated with the approval process and the CoP requirements will be appropriate and proportionate to the scale of your operation. However, the key disadvantages revolve around the fact that you will be limited to the number of vehicles you can manufacture in the year and there is a limited requirement for other Member States to accept National approvals.

As with ECWVTA the manufacturer will be responsible for the issue of Certificates of Conformity within the limited numbers set out in the relevant legislation.

As above, indicative costs are shown overleaf. The figures show estimated fees for VCA inspection, administration and certification.

nssTa-naTional small series Type approval

nexT sTeps

On the face of it the process can seem daunting but there are organisations on hand to support you. VCA is the UK type approval authority and can provide the practical help you need. VCA can also provide support with quality system issues too, providing a ‘one-stop’ service. If you feel that EC type approval is best for you and you want to know more, you can contact the experts at VCA using either of the following:

Email: ecwvta@vca.gov.uk Tel: +44 (0) 117 9524126 Web: www.vca.gov.uk

So the big question is what will it all cost? The table shown later gives estimated fees for VCA inspection, administration and certification within the UK. When considering costs remember that they refer to the approval of a type and once approved, further costs will not be incurred until legislation requires an update to be made to the type. In view of this, the unit cost can be very low.

Please note that other costs may be incurred in achieving approval. For example, engineering changes may be required as well as potential changes to quality control arrangements.

On the face of it, you may feel that you have many vehicles to approve but in practice, these may boil down to just a few ‘types’. But how is a type defined?

Essentially, a type can best be viewed as a range of vehicles, which share a set of fundamental characteristics (these are described in the Directive at Section B of Annex II).

Many areas of a vehicle are not covered by type approval and as such will not have impact on the ‘type’. For example, (generally) the bodywork on a truck will not affect the type, so it is possible to include box vans, curtainsiders, tippers and flatbeds on the same approval and it may not matter if other equipment (such as cranes, etc.) were fitted.

Similarly, if a body builder builds the same bodies onto chassis from different manufacturers, it would be possible for a body builder to include different makes of chassis on the same approval, provided the base vehicle chassis are not fundamentally different.

nexT sTeps

cosTs

WhaT is a Type?

Again, VCA is the UK approval body for NSSTA and can provide the support you need to work through the process. If you feel that national small series type approval is best for you and you want to know more, you can contact the experts at VCA using either of the following:

Email: ecwvta@vca.gov.uk Tel: +44 (0) 117 9524126 Web: www.vca.gov.uk

1110

indicaTive cosTs:

vEhiCLE CAtEgOryECwvtA (£) pEr typE

nSStA (£) (uK ) pEr typE

goods vehicle n1 (not exceeding 3.5 tonnes) 2,830 2,800

goods vehicle n2 (exceeding 3.5 tonnes but not exceeding 12 tonnes) 3,240 3,215

goods vehicle n3 (exceeding 12 tonnes)

Minibus m2 (more than eight seats in addition to driver’s seat, not over 5 tonnes)

2,830 2,805

bus / Coach m3 (more than eight seats in addition to driver’s seat, exceeding 5 tonnes) 3,240 3,215

trailer o1 (not exceeding 0.75 tonnes)

1,720 1,695

trailer o2 (exceeding 0.75 tonnes but not exceeding 3.5 tonnes)

trailer o3 (exceeding 3.5 tonnes but not exceeding 10 tonnes)

trailer o4 (exceeding 10 tonnes)

Special purpose m1 vehicles 2,830

Additional time may be charged for the technical assessment of additional variants within a vehicle type; adjustments may be made according to the number of axles.

Note: The above does not include any additional initial or ongoing investment in design, engineering, manufacturing, administration, travel or other costs incurred in producing a vehicle to the required standards and acquiring the related approval

If you are making just a single vehicle or very small numbers of a vehicle, you may wish to use the IVA arrangements. The IVA arrangement is the least onerous of the 3 approval routes in terms of compliance but involves a physical individual inspection of each submitted vehicle in turn.

Individual approvals for cars and light goods vehicles are currently managed through the Single Vehicle Approval arrangements, which will cease in its present form and evolve into light vehicle IVA from April 2009.

Vehicles submitted for IVA inspections need to demonstrate that they generally comply with the technical provisions of the Recast Framework Directive 2007/46/EC.

Depending on the category of vehicle submitted, up to 55 areas may be assessed for Directive compliance. In many cases under the IVA scheme these areas will be assessed by way of a physical inspection. However, compliance can be demonstrated by supplying documentary evidence of a satisfactory test report for some items, for example mirrors.

There are however for certain vehicles some areas such as braking and emissions where only Directive compliance can be accepted. This may necessitate formal confirmation from the vehicle manufacturer or a test report from an accredited Technical Service. A list of accredited Technical Service providers will be published on our website www.transportoffice.co.uk in Autumn 2008.

Applications for IVA should be submitted to VOSA Technical Services Branch (TSB) (The Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) in Northern Ireland) along with all relevant documentary evidence of Directive compliance required for the category of vehicle. Areas where documentary evidence is not mandatory may be assessed through physical examination by VOSA or DVA staff at an approved IVA inspection location. The address for the VOSA TSB is Swansea SA1 2DH. The address for DVA is IVA Section, Balmoral Road, Belfast, BT12 6QL

Application forms with information on the documentary evidence required, inspection fees and IVA inspection locations will be published on our website www.transportoffice.co.uk in Autumn 2008.

iva – individual vehicle approval

assessing your vehicle for iva compliance

applying for an iva inspecTion

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the table below includes vOSA’s estimated inspection fees only. A cost of the inspection is made up of two components, inspection of the vehicle and validation of approval documentation. There may be additional fees, see below.

CAtEgOry EStiMAtED ivA fEE rAngE

m1/n1 production vehicles £250 - £300

m1/n1 amateur built vehicles £500 - £550

m2 bus / coach £300 - £350

m3 2-axle bus and coach £350 - £400

m3 3-axle bus and coach £400 - £450

n2/n3 goods vehicle £150 - £200

o1/o2 light trailer £75 - £150

o3/o4 heavy trailer £100 - £150

These IVA fees are indicative only and will be finalised following formal consultation planned for the Summer of 2008.

Table 1 details the mandatory requirements for each vehicle category under IVA.

Applicability

subjecT area m1

m2 m3 n1 n2

n3 o1

o2 o3 o4

noise X X X X X X

Emissions X X X X X X

fuel tank/rear under run X X X X X X X X X X

rear reg plate X X X X X X X X X X

Steering effort X X X X X X X X X X

Door latches X X X X

horn X X X X X X

rear vision X X X X X X

braking X X X X X X X X X X

EMC/rfi X X X X X X X X X X

Diesel smoke X X X X X X

Interior fittings X

Anti theft/immob X X X X X X

protective steering X X

Seat strength X X X X X X

Exterior projection X

Speedo/reverse X X X X X X

Statutory plates X X X X X X X X X X

Seat belts & Seat belt anchorages

X X X X X X

Lighting & installation X X X X X X X X X X

towing hooks X X X X X X

forward vision X

iD of Controls X X X X X X

Defrost/Demist X

wash/wipe X

Heater (if fitted) X X X X X X X X X X

wheel guards X

head restraints X

fuel consumption X X

Engine power X X X X X X

Diesel Engines X X X X X X

Side under run X X X X

Spray suppression X X X X

Masses and Dimensions (M1) X

glass X X X X X X X X X X

tyres X X X X X X X X X X

Speed limiters X X X

Masses and Dimensions (non-M1)

X X X X X X X X X

External projections of cabs X X X

Couplings (if fitted) X X X X X X X X X X

flammability - buses X

bus construction X X

frontal impact X

Side impact X X

Dangerous goods X X X X X X X

front underrun X X

pedestrian protection X X

X = Requires physical inspection (unless directive compliance can be demonstrated)

X = Where only directive compliance is accepted (Except in the case of basic IVA)

addiTional fees Additional tests or inspections may be required. For example, if a stability test is required, which is quite probable on the first of a design of a M2 or M3 passenger vehicle (with or without approvals) then that will be an additional cost, estimated as £250. Similarly, a check of accessibility features would be either £40 (to the requirements of Annex VII of the Bus & Coach Construction Directive (2001/85)) or £90 (Accessibility Regulations).

There may be fees for an inspection conducted at an authorised (non-VOSA) site and if the inspection is conducted out of hours (evenings & weekends).

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The base vehicle will normally retain the ‘make’ of the first stage manufacturer and Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) issued on the original Certificate of Conformity (CoC) to ensure that traceability is maintained. Manufacturers at subsequent stages have to add their own plate with their name, the stage of the approval, the VIN and the approval number plus any revised vehicle weight information.

Generally speaking it is possible to approve to an equal or lower standard at subsequent stages in the approval process. For example, if stage 1 has an approval to ECWVTA you can get either an ECWVTA or an approval under the National schemes. However, if stage 1 has a National approval you cannot get an ECWVTA based on that at stage 2.

example of a 3 sTage build process

built to Stage 1

Stage 2 – Additional axle added

Stage 3 – box body added

multi-stAge buildthe concept of multi-stage build applies across the approval routes and is outlined in more detail below.

Many vehicles are built as part of a Multi-Stage Build (MSB) process, where a base vehicle (normally a chassis or chassis/cab) is produced and approved as an ‘incomplete vehicle’ and another manufacturer (normally a body builder or converter) subsequently finishes the vehicle so it becomes a ‘completed vehicle’. Sometimes ‘complete’ vehicles will form the base vehicle in a process, for example where a panel van is converted into a minibus. There will always be two or more stages in the MSB process and each of the manufacturers is only responsible for the work done and conformity of production at their particular stage of the build.

The flow of information between parties is extremely important in the MSB process, the second stage needs to understand the state of build of the base vehicle and whether any additions or modifications made at stage 2 will affect the validity of the stage 1 approval, this is true for all subsequent stages. Body builders and converters will generally require access to the base vehicle manufacturer’s approval information.

16

you should now know much more about type approval and which of the available routes might be best for your business...

If you still have unanswered questions you should feel free to put them to VCA or VOSA, using the details supplied. You can keep in touch with what’s happening by reviewing the websites shown inside the back cover or by sending your contact details to ecwvtaconsult@dft.gsi.gov.uk to receive regular updates.

conclusion

INFORMATION AT YOUR FINGERTIPS

This CD provides the information you need in one place. It illustrates how the new legislation applies to buses and coaches, trucks and vans, trailers and other special purpose vehicles. Special purpose vehicles will include motor caravans, ambulances, hearses, armoured cars, and wheelchair accessible vehicles.

For further information and to keep up to date withdevelopments regarding ECWVTA, visit yourtrade association or the following Government websites:

VCA http://www.vca.gov.ukVOSA http://www.transportoffice.gov.ukDVA http://www.dvani.gov.ukDVLA http://www.dvla.gov.uk