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Quiet Car

On April 24, 2021, Transport Canada issued a proposal that the Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations (MVSR) be amended to introduce Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (CMVSS) 141 — Minimum Sound Requirements for Hybrid and Electric Vehicles (CMVSS 141).

The proposed safety standard includes requirements to testable acoustic parameters when the vehicle is about to move or is moving at low speeds. These requirements would ensure that blind, visually impaired, and other pedestrians and pedal cyclists are able to detect and recognize nearby hybrid and electric vehicles. These specifications should allow the pedestrian to recognize that there is a vehicle present, where that vehicle is, and in what state it is operating, more precisely, if the vehicle is accelerating or decelerating, going forward or reversing.

To align with UN and U.S. requirements, companies would be given the choice of complying with the requirements of either the U.S. or UN regulation for vehicles specified in the scope of CMVSS 141. The choice of compliance was proposed based on both regulations meeting the intention for electric and electric hybrid vehicles to make a noise during low-speed operation, while limiting the cost and complications for manufacturers producing vehicles for different markets. In regard to the specific differences between the sets of technical requirements, a summary is presented in the “Rationale” section.

The proposed amendment would modify Schedule III of the MVSR by adding CMVSS 141 — Minimum Sound Requirements for Hybrid and Electric Vehicles. In addition, the proposed amendment would modify Schedule IV by incorporating by reference, as amended from time to time, sections of the U.S. FMVSS 141, Minimum Sound Requirements for Hybrid and Electric Vehicles and UN Regulation No. 138, Uniform provisions concerning the approval of Quiet Road Transport Vehicles with regard to their reduced audibility.

The deadline for filing comments is 75 days from the publication date of April 24, 2021.

Regulatory and Legislative Tracking Reports for Vehicle Manufacturers and Suppliers

Since 1999, Kardos & Associates LLC has supplied the auto industry with the most comprehensive regulatory and legislative tracking reports available. We currently offer clients the following:

Motor Vehicle Safety & Emissions Regulatory Update (the REG UPDATE)

The REG UPDATE has been tracking US and Canadian regulatory activity impacting the auto industry for over twenty years. Regulations developed by the NHTSA, FMCSA, EPA, FCC, CARB, Transport Canada, and Environment Canada are the focus. For each rulemaking, the Reg Update provides a description of the rulemaking, comment deadlines, effective dates, a docket reference, and links to documents available online. Deadlines and critical path items are color-coded so that you can quickly identify what’s new and important. In addition to being an excellent tool for tracking regulatory activity, the Reg Update is a great archive of past actions. The report contains information on virtually every rulemaking affecting automakers from the past two decades. Approximately 400 pages in length.

U.S. Safety & Fuel Economy Regulatory & Legislative Update
The U.S. Safety & Fuel Economy Regulatory & Legislative Update provides a snapshot of the past month’s legislative and regulatory activities relating to safety, emissions and fuel economy. The report provides brief summaries of notices issued by DOT, EPA, CARB and others. With regard to federal legislation, the report covers newly introduced bills, information on committee hearings, etc. Activities at the state level pertaining to emerging technologies (e.g., automated vehicles, advance driver assistance systems, EVs and EV infrastructure, etc.) are also covered.

Federal Legislation Tracking Report
Our legislative tracking report focuses on matters relating to environment and energy, safety and fuel economy/climate change. The report covers two years-worth of bills (the length of each Congressional session) and includes summaries and status updates for each tracked bill. Links to bill text and related information are provided.

All of our reports are distributed monthly via email as a PDF. Subscribers also get access to an online archive of past reports.

For pricing, contact Dale Kardos at (202) 3064997 or [email protected]. For more information about Kardos & Associates LLC, see www.kardosllc.com.

For a PDF of this information, click here.

ADAS Mandate in Canada

On Sep. 1, 2020, Transport Canada posted a notice online seeking feedback on updating its regulations to include advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). Specifically, Transport Canada is looking at whether advanced driver assistance features should be:

• required by regulations or left unregulated
• meet a minimum set of requirements if they’re on a vehicle

According to the notice, new safety requirements for ADAS would take the form of new Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and could apply to school buses and commercial trucks in particular but also other vehicles such as motorcycles, cars, trucks and passenger buses. Requirements could vary by vehicle type.

Technologies for which comments are sought include:

• Advanced braking systems for motorcycles
• Emergency brake assist
• Electronic stability control for medium vehicles
• Emergency stop signal
• Regenerative braking signal
• Accident emergency call system
• Blind spot information system (heavy vehicles)
• Blind spot detection/warning
• Lane departure warning
• Lane keep assist
• Level 2 and Level 3 systems
• 360° cameras
• Camera monitoring systems
• Intelligent speed assist
• Rear-visibility system (medium and heavy vehicles)
• Driver drowsiness and distraction monitoring

The request for comment will be followed by a regulatory proposal that will be published in the Canada Gazette, Part I, followed by a formal comment period. Final regulations will be published in the Canada Gazette, Part II.

The deadline for comments is Sep. 30, 2020.

Monthly Regulatory & Legislative Tracking Reports Available for 2013 - Sign Up Now!

Since 1995, Dale Kardos & Associates, Inc. (DKA Inc.) has been supplying automakers, automotive suppliers and their trade associations with comprehensive detailed regulatory and legislative tracking reports.  Each month, DKA Inc. publishes the following three related, but uniquely-focused, tracking reports:

The Reg Update

The Reg Update is a monthly report that tracks the status of all North American regulatory activity concerning emissions, fuel economy (CO2) and safety (we track all regulatory actions of NHTSA, EPA, California Air Resources Board, Transport Canada, Environment Canada, and Section 177 States (i.e., states that have adopted CA’s Low Emission Vehicle program rules). For each rulemaking, the Reg Update provides electronic links to the latest official publications and includes information concerning comment period deadlines, anticipated future actions, projected implementation dates, and more.  In print since 1998, the Reg Update also serves as a tremendous archive of past actions. 

U.S. Motor Vehicle Safety and Legislative Update

The U.S. Motor Vehicle Safety & Legislative Update is a monthly report summarizing the past month’s legislative and regulatory activity concerning motor vehicle safety, emissions, and fuel economy/GHG issues.  The report provides brief summaries of and electronic links to key Federal Register notices, Congressional bills, public laws, NHTSA interpretation letters, recall listings, defect reports, NCAP test results, etc.  The report also covers financial incentive program announcements coming out of the Department of Energy, California and elsewhere.

Status of Motor Vehicle Related Legislation in the 113^th Congress

This report is devoted to keeping automakers and supplier up-to-date on the status of all legislation pending in the U.S. Congress that may potentially affect the auto industry.  We cover the introduction of all new bills and track their status over the course of the next two years.  We’ll provide updates on any official new activity related to the bill, increases in sponsorship, etc.  The report typically groups bills into the following categories:  Appropriations, Climate Change/GHG/Environment, Financial Incentive Programs, Biofuels and Flex Fuel Vehicles, Funding for Vehicle Development, Safety, Toxic Chemicals, misc.

 Report samples are available via the links below:

1.  Download REG UPDATE (SAMPLE - DEC 2012)

2. Download US Motor Vehicle Regulatory and Legislative Update (Dec 2012)

3. Download 111TH CONGRESS MOTOR VEHICLE LEGISLATION TRACKING SUMMARY (SAMPLE)

Pricing: The above reports can be purchased individually or at a discount (as a package).  A one year subscription is required (12 monthly updates).  For pricing and/or questions, please send an email to Dale Kardos ([email protected]).

Canada – Technical Standards Document No. 118, Power-Operated Window, Partition, and Roof Panel Systems

On May 2, 2009, Transport Canada published a notice in the Canada Gazette announcing that they have revised TSD No. 118, Power-Operated Window, Partition, and Roof Panel Systems. TC states that the text of the revised TSD, Revision 1, is based on FMVSS 118, Power-Operated Window, Partition, and Roof Panel Systems, as published in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, Title 49, Part 571, revised as of October 1, 2008.

Amendments CMVSS 110 and 120 (tire selection and rims)

On September 17, 2009, Transport Canada published a notice in the Canada Gazette Part II (SOR/DORS/2008-258) which seeks to align the Canadian regulatory requirements governing the selection of motor vehicle tires and rims with those in the U.S. Extensive changes are made to CMVSS 110 (Tire Selection and Rims for Motor Vehicles with a GVWR of 4,536 kg or less) and CMVSS 120 (Tire Selection and Rims for Motor Vehicles with a GVWR of more than 4,536 kg). In addition to the changes made to CMVSSs 110 and 120, the notice also adds two low tire pressure warning telltales and a malfunction telltale to CMVSS 101 and makes conforming amendments to the Motor Vehicle Tire Safety Regulations which includes amendments to the Tire Identification Number and Importer Identification Number.

The amendments take effect with publication (i.e., Sep. 17, 2008) with the following two exceptions. Compliance with the revised CMVSS 110 requirements is not required until September 1, 2009. Compliance with the requirement in CMVSS 120 for the label information to be in both English and French does not come into effect until Sep. 1, 2009. Early compliance is permitted.

Transport Canada point of contact: Julie Deschatelets, [email protected]

Head Restraints

Transport Canada is proposing to adopt NHTSA's current head restraint requirements contained in FMVSS 202. The proposal was issued Sep. 13, 2008 in the Canada Gazette and comments are due Nov. 27, 2008. The new requirements would go into effect on the date that the final rule is published in the Canada Gazette Part II. As proposed, manufacturers would be permitted to certify against the existing requirements through 8/31/11.

Canada – Low Speed Vehicles

On August 6, 2008, Transport Canada issued a notice that finalizes amendments to the requirements for low-speed vehicles ((LSVs). Among other things, the notice does the following:

• introduces requirements for a slow-moving vehicle emblem to be permanently marked on LSVs;

• clarifies the original reason for establishing the LSV class, which was to allow the use of such vehicles for short trips such as shopping, social and recreational purposes, in limited, planned and controlled environments;

• introduces new wording that, for the first time, allows small trucks to be classified as LSV;

• includes a maximum limit for the mass of LSV to ensure that large trucks and passenger vehicles cannot be improperly classified as LSV; and

• introduces a requirement that the propulsion systems of LSV must be designed for their top speed of 40 km/h.

Canada – Proposed Safety Standards Amendments

On August 2, 2008, Transport Canada published a notice in the Canada Gazette Part I which proposes amendments to several safety standards. The standards being amended include the following:

CMVSS 203 – Driver Impact Protection CMVSS 204 – Steering Column Rearward Displacement CMVSS 212 – Windshield Mounting CMVSS 219 – Windshield Zone Intrusion

Comments on the proposed amendments are due Oct. 16, 2008. A copy of the proposal is available at http://canadagazette.gc.ca/partI/2008/20080802/pdf/g1-14231.pdf.

Canadian VIN Requirements

Transport Canada has published a proposal to harmonize its VIN requirements with the recently-revised U.S. requirements. Published August 2, 2008, the proposal would amend Section 115 of Schedule IV of the Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations.

Once finalized, the revised requirements would apply to vehicles built on or after October 27, 2008, having a model year of 2010 or 2011, and to vehicles having a later model year. Those vehicles having a model year of 2009 or less and those vehicles having a model year of 2010 or 2011, if they are built before October 27, 2008, would be required to comply with the existing VIN system.

The deadline for filing comments on the proposal is September 11, 2008.

The point of contact is Marcin Gorzkowski, Transport Canada, [email protected]