COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 706/2007
of 21 June 2007
laying down, pursuant to Directive 2006/40/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council, administrative provisions for the EC type-approval of vehicles, and a harmonised test for measuring leakages from certain air conditioning systems
(Text with EEA relevance)
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,
Having regard to Directive 2006/40/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 May 2006 relating to emissions from air-conditioning systems in motor vehicles and amending Council Directive 70/156/EEC (1), and in particular Article 7(1) thereof,
Whereas:
(1)
Directive 2006/40/EC is one of the separate directives under the EC type-approval procedure established by Directive 70/156/EEC (2).
(2)
Directive 2006/40/EC requires vehicles which are fitted with air-conditioning systems designed to contain fluorinated greenhouse gases with a global warming potential higher than 150 to be type-approved with regard to emissions from those air-conditioning systems. It also establishes limit values for leakage rates from such systems. It is therefore necessary to establish a harmonised detection test for measuring the leakage rate of such gases and to adopt provisions necessary to implement Directive 2006/40/EC.
(3)
Directive 2006/40/EC prohibits from a certain date the placing on the market of new vehicles fitted with air-conditioning systems designed to contain fluorinated greenhouse gases with a global warming potential higher than 150. At this moment, the only identified fluorinated gas with a global warming potential higher than 150 used as refrigerant in mobile air-conditioning systems is HFC-134a. The leakage detection test should therefore be established for that gas.
(4)
The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee for Adaptation to Technical Progress,
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
Article 1
Subject matter
This Regulation lays down certain measures for the implementation of Articles 4 and 5 of Directive 2006/40/EC.
Article 2
Definitions
For the purposes of this Regulation the following definitions shall apply:
1.
‘vehicle type with regard to emissions from air-conditioning systems’ means a group of vehicles which do not differ as regards the refrigerant used or other main characteristics of the air-conditioning system or as regards the evaporator system, whether single or dual;
2.
‘type of air-conditioning system’ means a group of air-conditioning systems which do not differ either as regards their trade name or mark of their manufacturer or as regards the leak components included therein;
3.
‘leak component’ means any of the following parts of an air-conditioning system or an assembly of such parts:
(a)
hose including crimping;
(b)
individual connections, whether male or female;
(c)
valves, switches and sensors;
(d)
thermal expansion valves with connections;
(e)
evaporator with external connections;
(f)
compressor with connections;
(g)
condenser with integrated serviceable dryer;
(h)
receiver/dryer with connections;
(i)
accumulator with connections;
4.
‘type of leak component’ means a group of leak components which do not differ either as regards their trade name or mark of their manufacturer or as regards their main function.
Leak components made of different materials or combinations of different leak components shall be considered as belonging to the same type of leak component, as defined in point 4 of the first paragraph, provided that they do not increase the leakage rate.
Article 3
EC component type-approval
Member States may not, on grounds relating to emissions from air-conditioning systems, refuse to grant an EC component type-approval to a type of leak component or a type of air-conditioning system if it complies with the provisions of this Regulation.
Article 4
Administrative provisions for EC component type-approval
1. The manufacturer or his representative shall submit to the type-approval authority the application for EC component type-approval for a type of leak component or air-conditioning system.
The application shall be drawn up in accordance with the model of the information document set out in Part 1 of Annex I.
2. The manufacturer or his representative shall submit to the technical service responsible for conducting the type-approval tests a leak component or an air-conditioning system to be approved.
For that purpose, a sample with the highest leakage rate (hereinafter ‘the worst case sample’) shall be used.
3. If the relevant requirements are met, EC component type-approval shall be granted and a component type-approval number issued in accordance with the numbering system set out in Annex VII to Directive 70/156/EEC.
A Member State may not assign the same number to another type of leak component or air-conditioning system.
4. For the purposes of paragraph 3, the type-approval authority shall deliver an EC component type-approval certificate established in accordance with the model set out in Part 2 of Annex I.
Article 5
EC component type-approval mark
Every leak component or air-conditioning system conforming to a type in respect of which EC component type-approval has been granted pursuant to this Regulation shall bear an EC component type-approval mark set out in Part 3 of Annex I.
Article 6
Administrative provisions for EC type-approval of a vehicle with regard to emissions from an air-conditioning system
1. The manufacturer or his representative shall submit to the type-approval authority the application for EC type-approval of a vehicle with regard to emissions from an air-conditioning system.
The application shall be drawn up in accordance with the model of the information document set out in Part 4 of Annex I.
2. The manufacturer or his representative shall submit with the application, in the case of a whole vehicle testing, the worst case sample of the complete vehicle type to be approved or, in the case of a component testing, type-approval certificates for the relevant leak components or for the air-conditioning system.
3. If the relevant requirements are met, EC type-approval shall be granted and a type-approval number issued in accordance with the numbering system set out in Annex VII to Directive 70/156/EEC.
A Member State may not assign the same number to another vehicle type.
4. For the purposes of paragraph 3, the type-approval authority shall deliver an EC type-approval certificate established in accordance with the model set out in Part 5 of Annex I.
Article 7
Harmonised leakage detection test
The harmonised leakage detection test for examining whether the maximum permissible leakage limits, referred to in Article 5(2) and 5(3) of Directive 2006/40/EC, have been exceeded is laid down in Annex II to this Regulation.
Article 8
Entry into force
This Regulation shall enter into force on the 20th day following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
This Regulation shall apply from 5 January 2008.
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.
Done at Brussels, 21 June 2007.