Dec 5, 2011 2:13 PM

European, North American and  Japanese heavy-duty vehicle and engine manufacturers have decided to establish  in 2012 a stronger administrative support for the activities of the annual  Global Commercial Vehicle Industry Meeting and its objective of global  harmonization of heavy-duty vehicle regulations.   

  The decision was taken at the Global Meeting of  the industry executives in Tokyo this week. The Global Secretariat will  coordinate and monitor the progress of different tasks assigned by the Global  Meeting of the industry executives, under the leadership of an Executive  Secretary.  

  The main issues to be covered by the global  secretariat include:

  · World harmonized diesel certification (WHDC)

  · Global fuel specification  

  · Heavy duty hybrid certification

  · Fuel efficiency improvements

  The secretariat was assigned a number of tasks  to deliver in the short term:

  · Certified Engine Maps – drafting a proposal for a  global procedure

  · Vehicle Mission Cycles -- identifying and agreeing on  principles for the definition of cycles

  · Total Vehicle Drag – drafting proposals for global  procedures for measuring air, rolling, driveline and auxiliary drags

  · Vehicle Control Strategies (VCS) – explore the  inclusion of VCS in computer simulation  

  Longer-term issues to be covered are:

  · Higher Capacity Vehicles (HCV)

  · Performance-based standards for HCV

  · International loading units

  The Global Secretariat will be set up and lead  in 2012 by Stefan Larsson, a long-term employee of Volvo Group who has worked  at European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) since 1997. Larsson’s  main fields of experience include global vehicle regulations and product  certification as well as vehicle emission, CO2 and air quality issues. He has  been involved in the organization of the Global Commercial Vehicle Industry  Meetings since their start in 2003.

Want to use this article? Click here for options!
© 2012 Penton Media Inc.