Tires missing from EU ‘automotive simplification’ plan

Brussels – The European Commission’s automotive simplification package (ERJ report) “misses an opportunity to simplify the regulatory regime” for tires.

That’s according to Adam McCarthy, secretary general, Tyres Europe, insisting that any discussion about vehicle performance and compliance must include a discussion about tires.

One of the most significant elements of the ‘package’, issued 16 Dec, is a “clear move away from redundant testing,” the Tyres Europe leader reviewing the proposed simplification measures.

This, he said, reflects a growing recognition that costly and complex laboratory testing does not automatically lead to better environmental or safety outcomes in the automotive industry – including tires.

Therefore, argued McCarthy, the Commission’s simplification agenda should exclude tires from the Implementing Act on In-Service Verification (ISV) under the Heavy-Duty Vehicle Emissions Regulation.

For instance, he said new OE tires used for the trucks’ in-service testing are already subject to type approval and conformity of production (CoP) testing under existing legislation*.

With the new implementing act imposing stricter tolerances than those set out in these regulations, compliant tires may fail the in-service test even though they comply with tire-specific legislation.

This is a “clear example of double regulation that is disproportionate and undermines legal certainty,” stated McCarthy.

The same ‘simplification’ objectives of ISV, he added, can already be achieved through reinforced market surveillance, without creating a parallel regime.

Concluded McCarthy, “if Europe wants a resilient and competitive automotive industry, tires need to be visible in policy discussions, integrated into regulatory design, and recognised for their role in delivering safe and sustainable mobility.”

*UN R117 and Regulation 2019/2144