UN R59 — 03 series of amendments

Paragraph 6.2.3. now has the title “Additional Sound Emission Provisions (ASEP)”. Under paragraph 6.2.3.1., a NORESS must also fulfil the ASEP requirements of paragraph 6.2.3. of UN Regulation No. 51, if designed for vehicles “where ASEP was part of the issued type approval of the vehicle”. If ASEP has to be tested, the tests and necessary pre-tests must follow the series of amendments of UN Regulation No. 51 “which was the basis for the issued type approval of the vehicle”. Before, paragraph 6.2.3. said: “Further to the requirements of Annex 3 of the 03 series of amendments of Regulation No. 51, any exhaust replacement silencing system, or components thereof, shall fulfil the applicable specifications of Annex 7 of the 03 series of amendments of Regulation No. 51”. Before, for systems “intended for vehicles type approved under the former series of the UN Regulation No. 51”, those Annex 7 requirements and paragraphs 6.2.3.1. to 6.2.3.2. did not apply. Before, for systems with and without variable geometry, the manufacturer provided a statement in conformity with the Appendix to Annex 7 of Regulation No. 51.

If designed for vehicles “where ASEP was not a part of the issued type approval of these vehicles”, NORESS with different modes, sound actuators or variable geometries must also perform the ASEP tests of UN Regulation No. 51. These ASEP tests and necessary pre-tests must follow the actual series of amendments of UN Regulation No. 51, “which is the actual base for issuing type approvals of these vehicles”. The sound emission of the NORESS equipped vehicle under typical on-road driving conditions “which are different from those under which the type-approval test set out in Annex 3 and Annex 7 of UN Regulation No. 51 were carried out” must not deviate from the test result in a significant manner.

Under paragraph 6.2.3.3., the ASEP tests regarding 6.2.3.2. are a comparison on a vehicle equipped with the original exhaust silencer and the NORESS (back-to-back-test). With the original exhaust silencer, the vehicle must be tested in “normal operation mode for road use of the based sound emission approval of the vehicle”. For each test condition, the NORESS sound-pressure level can at most be the same as with the original exhaust silencer in its approved mode. For tests regarding 6.2.3.1. or 6.2.3.2. on a NORESS “without multiple, manually or electronically adjustable, rider selectable operating modes, sound actuators or without variable geometries”, the vehicle described in paragraph 3.3.3. must be used. For ASEP tests on NORESS “equipped with multiple, manually or electronically adjustable, rider selectable operating modes, sound actuators or with variable geometries”, “each vehicle type of the range of approval application of the NORESS has to be tested in each selectable mode of the vehicle and the NORESS”. ASEP tests regarding 6.2.3.4. can be done by the manufacturer of the NORESS, and those regarding 6.2.3.5. must be performed by the Technical Service.

Under paragraph 6.2.3.7., the Type Approval Authority may require any relevant test to check that the NORESS complies with paragraphs 6.2.3.1. to 6.2.3.6. During these tests, the type approval authority can also check the software of the steering units of NORESS “equipped with multiple, electronically adjustable, rider selectable operating modes, sound actuators or with variable geometries”. Under paragraph 6.2.3.8., the manufacturer must provide “in addition to the test report of the Technical Service a statement in conformity with the appendix of Annex 7 to UN Regulation No. 51” that the type complies with paragraph 6.2.3. of this Regulation. For NORESS “equipped with multiple, manually or electronically adjustable, rider selectable operating modes, sound actuators or with variable geometries”, the manufacturer must send to the approval authority additional documentation with detailed principle(s) and control of the NORESS under paragraph 6.2.4. The documentation has a “formal additional documentation package” that may be made available to interested parties upon request, and an “extended additional documentation package” that must remain strictly confidential. The extended package must include information on the operation of all Additional Sound Emission Strategies (ASES) and the Base Sound Emission Strategy (BSES).

The “Transitional provisions” in paragraph 14. are new. From the official date of entry into force of the 03 series, “no Contracting Party applying this Regulation shall refuse to grant or refuse to accept type approvals under the 03 series”. From 12 months after the date of entry into force, Contracting Parties applying this Regulation grant approvals only if “the type of component or separate technical unit to be approved meets the requirements of the 03 series”. From 24 months after the date of entry into force, Contracting Parties applying this Regulation grant extensions to existing approvals only if “the type of component or separate technical unit to be approved meets the requirements of the 03 series”. After the 03 series enters into force, approvals to the preceding series remain valid, and Contracting Parties applying this Regulation must continue to accept them.

Under paragraph 5.2., the first two digits of the approval number are now 03, for the 03 series of amendments, instead of 02. In the Annex 2 example, the exhaust replacement silencing system type is now approved under approval number 032439 instead of 022439. The character C now “symbolizes that the approval was granted for the limit values according to phase 3 as given in paragraph 6.2.2. of the 03 series of amendments of the UN Regulation No. 51”, instead of character B and phase 2. Two digits of the approval number now indicate approval under UN Regulation No. 59 as amended by the 03 series, not the 02 series.

Item 5 of the Annex 1 communication form now adds “variable geometries, sound actuator(s), adjustable modes” to the brief description of the exhaust silencing system. In item 1.9. of the Appendix to Annex 1, the stationary vehicle line now asks for the mode, and four more such lines are added. In the 2 dB(A) conditions (i) and (ii), “The value measured” is now “The value(s) measured”. References to UN Regulations Nos. 51, 59, 85 and 117 now say “UN Regulation No.” instead of “Regulation No.”. The conformity of production procedures now refer to “Schedule 1 (E/ECE/TRANS/505/Rev.1)” of the Agreement instead of “Appendix 2 (E/ECE/324-E/ECE/TRANS/505/Rev.2)”. Two footnotes now cite document ECE/TRANS/WP.29/78/Rev.6 instead of Rev.3.