COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) No 672/2010
of 27 July 2010
concerning type-approval requirements for windscreen defrosting and demisting systems of certain motor vehicles and implementing Regulation (EC) No 661/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning type-approval requirements for the general safety of motor vehicles, their trailers and systems, components and separate technical units intended therefor
THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
Having regard to Regulation (EC) No 661/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 July 2009 concerning type-approval requirements for the general safety of motor vehicles, their trailers and systems, components and separate technical units intended therefor (1), and in particular Article 14(1)(a) thereof,
Whereas:
(1)
Regulation (EC) No 661/2009 is a separate Regulation for the purposes of the type-approval procedure provided for by Directive 2007/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 September 2007 establishing a framework for the approval of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles (Framework Directive) (2).
(2)
Regulation (EC) No 661/2009 repeals Council Directive 78/317/EEC of 21 December 1977 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the defrosting and demisting systems of glazed surfaces of motor vehicles (3). The requirements set out in that Directive should be carried over to this Regulation and, where necessary, amended in order to adapt them to the development of scientific and technical knowledge, in particular to take into account the specific characteristics of hybrid and electrical vehicles.
(3)
The scope of this Regulation is in line with that of Directive 78/317/EEC and thus limited to vehicles of category M1.
(4)
Regulation (EC) No 661/2009 lays down fundamental provisions on requirements for the type-approval of motor vehicles with regard to windscreen defrosting and demisting systems. Therefore, it is necessary to also set out the specific procedures, tests and requirements for such type-approval.
(5)
The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Technical Committee - Motor Vehicles,
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
Article 1
Scope
This Regulation applies to motor vehicles of category M1, as defined in Annex II to Directive 2007/46/EC, which are fitted with a windscreen.
Article 2
Definitions
For the purposes of this Regulation, the following definitions shall apply:
1.
‘vehicle type with regard to the windscreen defrosting and demisting systems’ means vehicles which do not differ in such essential respects as:
-
the characteristics of the defrosting and demisting systems,
-
the external and internal forms and arrangements within the 180° forward field of vision area of the driver which may affect visibility,
-
the shape, size, thickness and characteristics of the windscreen and its mounting,
-
the maximum number of seating positions;
2.
‘engine’ means a combustion engine running on either liquid or gaseous fuel;
3.
‘defrosting system’ means the system intended to eliminate frost or ice on the outside surface of the windscreen;
4.
‘defrosted area’ means the area of the windscreen having a dry outside surface or an outside surface covered with melted or partially melted wet frost which can be removed by the vehicle’s windscreen wiper system;
5.
‘demisting system’ means the system intended to remove mist on the inside surface of the windscreen;
6.
‘mist’ means a film of condensate on the inside face of the glazed surface of the windscreen;
7.
‘demisted area’ means the area of the windscreen having a dry inside surface, without any drops or traces of water, after previously being covered by mist;
8.
‘vision area A’ means test area A as defined in paragraph 2.2 of Annex 18 of UN-ECE Regulation 43 (4);
9.
‘vision area B’ means reduced test area B as defined in paragraph 2.4 of Annex 18 of UN-ECE Regulation 43, without the exclusion of the area defined in paragraph 2.4.1 thereof;
10.
‘design torso angle’ means the angle measured between a vertical line through the R-point or seating reference point and the torso line in a position which corresponds to the design position of the seat-back as declared by the vehicle manufacturer;
11.
‘R-point’ or seating reference point means the design point defined by the vehicle manufacturer for each seating position with respect to the three-dimensional reference system;
12.
‘three-dimensional reference system’ means a reference grid which consists of a vertical longitudinal plane X-Z, a horizontal plane X-Y and a vertical transverse plane Y-Z in accordance with the provisions of Appendix 2 of Annex II;
13.
‘primary reference marks’ means holes, surfaces, marks or other identification signs on the vehicle body or chassis of which the X, Y and Z coordinates within the three-dimensional reference grid are specified by the vehicle manufacturer;
14.
‘vehicle master control switch’ means the device by which the vehicle’s on-board electronics system is brought from being switched off, as is the case when a vehicle is parked without the driver being present, to normal operation mode.
Article 3
Provisions for EC type-approval of a vehicle with regard to windscreen defrosting and demisting systems
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 windscreen defrosting and demisting systems.
2. The application shall be drawn up in accordance with the model of the information document set out in Part 1 of Annex I.
3. If the relevant requirements set out in Annex II are met, the approval authority shall grant an EC type-approval and issue a type-approval number in accordance with the numbering system set out in Annex VII to Directive 2007/46/EC.
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 2 of Annex I.
Article 4
Validity and extension of approvals granted under Directive 78/317/EEC
National authorities shall permit the sale and entry into service of vehicles type-approved before the date referred to in Article 13, paragraph 2 of Regulation (EC) No 661/2009 and continue to grant extension of approvals to those vehicles under the terms of Directive 78/317/EEC.
Article 5
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 be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.
Done at Brussels, 27 July 2010.