- actual mass of the vehicle
means the mass in running order plus the mass of the optional equipment fitted to an individual vehicle;
- aerodynamic devices and equipment
means devices or equipment that are designed to reduce the aerodynamic drag of road vehicles with the exception of elongated cabs;
- air suspension
means a suspension system on which at least 75 % of the spring effect is caused by the air spring;
- air/water separator
means a component forming part of the valance and/or of the rain flap through which air can pass whilst reducing pulverized water emissions;
- articulated vehicle
means a vehicle of category M2 or M3 as defined in paragraph 2.1.3. of UN Regulation No 107;
- axle
means the common axis of rotation of two or more wheels whether power-driven or freely rotating, and whether in one or more segments located in the same plane perpendicular to the longitudinal centre-line of the vehicle;
- axle spacing
means the distance between two consecutive axles;
- axle-lift device
means a mechanism fitted to a vehicle for the purpose of raising the axle clear off the ground and lowering it to the ground;
- burst disc
means the non-reclosing operating part of a pressure relief device which, when installed in the device, is designed to burst at a predetermined pressure to permit the discharge of compressed hydrogen;
- check valve
means a non-return valve that prevents reverse flow in the vehicle fuel line;
- class of a bus or of a coach
means a set of vehicles as defined in paragraphs 2.1.1. and 2.1.2. of UN Regulation No 107– Uniform provisions concerning the approval of category M2 or M3 vehicles with regard to their general construction;
- cleaned area
means the previously soiled area which does not have any traces of drops and remaining dirt after it has dried completely;
- compressed hydrogen storage system (CHSS)
means a system designed to store hydrogen fuel for a hydrogen-powered vehicle and composed of a pressurized container, pressure relief devices (PRDs) and shut off device(s) that isolate the stored hydrogen from the remainder of the fuel system and its environment;
- container
(for hydrogen storage) means the component within the hydrogen storage system that stores the primary volume of hydrogen fuel;
- corner of frontal protection system
means the frontal protection system’s point of contact with a vertical plane, which makes an angle of 60° with the vertical longitudinal plane of the vehicle and is tangential to the outer surface of the frontal protection system (see Figure 1);
- coupling
means a mechanical device including component items as defined in paragraphs 2.1. to 2.6. of Regulation No 55 of the Economic Commission for Europe of the United Nations (UN/ECE) and a close-coupling device as defined in paragraph 2.1.1. of UN Regulation No 102 of the Economic Commission for Europe of the United Nations (UN/ECE);
- coupling point
means the centre of engagement of the coupling fitted to a towed vehicle within the coupling fitted to a towing vehicle;
- date of manufacture
(of a compressed hydrogen container) means the date (month and year) of the proof pressure test carried out during manufacture;
- date of removal from service
means the date (month and year) specified for removal from service;
- 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;
- defrosting system
means the system intended to eliminate frost or ice on the outside surface of the windscreen;
- 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;
- demisting system
means the system intended to remove mist on the inside surface of the windscreen;
- enclosed or semi-enclosed spaces
means the special volumes within the vehicle (or the vehicle outline across openings) that are external to the hydrogen system (storage system, fuel cell system and fuel flow management system) and its housings (if any) where hydrogen may accumulate (and thereby pose a hazard), as it may occur in the passenger compartment, luggage compartment and space under the hood;
- energy absorber
means a component forming part of the mudguard and/or valance and/ or rain flap which absorbs the energy of water spray, thus reducing pulverized water spray;
- essential outer front end dimensions
means solid points in space on the test frame, representing all points of the actual intended vehicle type where the frontal protection system would be liable to impact on the vehicle during testing;
- exhaust point of discharge
means the geometric centre of the area where fuel cell purged gas is discharged from the vehicle;
- fifth wheel lead
means the distance referred to in point 6.19.2. of Standard ISO 612:1978 in, taking into account the note referred to in point 6.19. of the same standard;
- floor entrance
means the lowest point of the door aperture or other structure whichever of the two is higher, which a person has to clear in terms of height in order to enter the passenger compartment.
- front fitting radius of semi-trailer
means the horizontal distance from the axis of the kingpin to any point at the front of the semi-trailer;
- front overhang
means the horizontal distance between the vertical plane passing through the first axle or the kingpin axle in the case of a semi-trailer and the foremost point of the vehicle;
- fuel cell system
means a system containing the fuel cell stack(s), air processing system, fuel flow control system, exhaust system, thermal management system and water management system;
- fuelling receptacle
means the equipment to which a fuelling station nozzle attaches to the vehicle and through which fuel is transferred to the vehicle.
- fully primed system
means a system which has been activated normally for a period of time and where fluid has been transferred through the pump, tubing and has exited the nozzle(s);
- functional characteristics of the GSI
means the set of input parameters, such as engine speed, power demand, torque and their variation in time, determining the GSI indication and the functional dependence of the GSI indications on these parameters;
- group of axles
means a number of axles having an axle spacing that is restricted to one of the axle spacing referred to as distance 'd' in Annex I to Directive 96/53/EC and which interact due to the specific design of the suspension;
- height
means the dimension defined in point 6.3. of Standard ISO 612:1978;
- hydrogen concentration
means the percentage of the hydrogen moles (or molecules) within the mixture of hydrogen and air (equivalent to the partial volume of hydrogen gas);
- hydrogen-powered vehicle
means any motor vehicle that uses hydrogen as a fuel to propel the vehicle, including fuel cell and internal combustion engine vehicles.
- inclination
means the degree of the angular deviation in relation to a vertical plane.
- indivisible load
means a load that cannot, for the purposes of carriage by road, be divided into two or more loads without undue expense or risk of damage and which, owing to its mass or dimension, cannot be carried by a vehicle the masses and dimensions of which comply with the maximum authorised masses and dimensions applicable in a Member State.
- intermittent operation of the wiper system
means an automatic non-continuous mode of operation of the wiper system, where after each full cycle there is a period during which the wipers are stationary in one specific designated halting position;
- length
means the dimension defined in points 6.1.1., 6.1.2. and 6.1.3. of Standard ISO 612:1978;
- length of the loading area
means the distance from the foremost internal point to the rearmost internal point of the cargo area, measured horizontally in the longitudinal plane of the vehicle;
- lift axle or retractable axle
means an axle which can be raised from its normal position and re-lowered by an axle-lift device;
- liquefied hydrogen storage system (LHSS)
means liquefied hydrogen storage container(s) PRDs, shut-off device, a boil-off system and the interconnection piping (if any) and fittings between the above components;
- loadable axle
means an axle the load on which can be varied without the axle being raised by the use of an axle-lift device;
- longitudinal median plane of the vehicle
means the plane of symmetry of the vehicle or, if the vehicle is not symmetrical, the vertical longitudinal plane passing through the middle of the vehicle axles;
- lower frontal protection system height
means, at any transverse position, the vertical distance between the ground and the lower frontal protection system reference line, with the vehicle positioned in its normal ride attitude;
- lower frontal protection system reference line
means a line which identifies the lower limit to significant points of pedestrian contact with the frontal protection system.
- luggage compartment
means the space in the vehicle for luggage and/or goods accommodation, bounded by the roof, hood, floor, side walls, being separated from the passenger compartment by the front bulkhead or the rear bulkhead;
- manual gearbox
means a gearbox that can be operated in a mode where the shift between all or some of the gears is always an immediate consequence of an action of the driver, regardless of its physical implementation;
- manual mode
means an operational mode of the vehicle, where the shift between all or some of the gears is always an immediate consequence of an action of the driver;
- manufacturer
means the person or body responsible to the approval authority for all aspects of the type approval process and for ensuring conformity of production.
- mass in running order
means:
- mass of the coupling
means the mass of the coupling itself and of the parts necessary for the attachment of the coupling to the vehicle;
- mass of the driver
means a mass rated at 75 kg located at the driver’s seating reference point;
- mass of the optional equipment
means the maximum mass of the combinations of optional equipment which may be fitted to the vehicle in addition to the standard equipment, in accordance with the manufacturer's specifications;
- mass of the passengers
means a rated mass depending on the vehicle category multiplied by the number of seating positions including, if any, the seating positions for crew members and the number of standees, but not including the driver;
- maximum allowable working pressure (MAWP)
means the highest gauge pressure to which a pressure container or storage system is permitted to operate under normal operating conditions;
- maximum fuelling pressure (MFP)
means the maximum pressure applied to compressed system during fuelling.
- mist
means a film of condensate on the inside face of the glazed surface of the windscreen;
- mudguard
means a rigid or semi-rigid component intended to trap the water thrown up by tyres in motion and to direct it towards the ground and which may entirely or partially form an integral part of the vehicle bodywork or other parts of the vehicle such as the lower part of the load platform;
- nominal surface
means the theoretical geometrically perfect surface without taking into account surface irregularities such as protrusions or indentations;
- nominal working pressure (NWP)
means the gauge pressure that characterizes typical operation of a system.
- nozzle
means a device which serves to direct fluid onto the windscreen;
- operational mode of the vehicle
means a state of the vehicle, in which shifts between at least two forward gears may occur;
- optional equipment
means all the features not included in the standard equipment which are fitted to a vehicle under the responsibility of the manufacturer that can be ordered by the customer;
- outer valance
means a component located approximately within a vertical plane that is parallel to the longitudinal plane of the vehicle and which may form part of a mudguard or of the vehicle bodywork;
- pay-mass
means the difference between the technically permissible maximum laden mass and the mass in running order increased by the mass of the passengers and the mass of the optional equipment;
- pressure relief device (PRD)
means a device that, when activated under specified performance conditions, is used to release hydrogen from a pressurized system and thereby prevent failure of the system;
- rain flap
means a flexible component mounted vertically behind the wheel, on the lower part of the chassis or the loading surface, or on the mudguard and which reduces the risk of small objects, in particular pebbles, being picked up from the ground by the tyres and thrown upwards or sideward towards other road users;
- rear overhang
means the horizontal distance between the vertical plane passing through the last rear axle and the rearmost point of the vehicle;
- rear swing-out
means the distance between the initial point and the actual extreme point reached by the rear end of a vehicle when manoeuvring in the conditions specified in Section C, point 8, or Section D, point 7;
- retractable axle
means an axle as defined in Annex XIII, Part 2, Section A, point 1.34.;
- safety relief valve
means a pressure relief device that opens at a pre-set pressure level and can re-close;
- self-steered wheels
means wheels not actuated by the vehicle's steering device, which may swivel through an angle not exceeding 20o owing to the friction exerted by the ground;
- self-tracking axle
means an axle pivoted about a central point in such a way that it can describe a horizontal arc;
- shut-off valve
means a valve between the storage container and the vehicle fuel system that can be automatically activated and defaults to the ‘closed’ position when not connected to a power source;
- single failure
means a failure caused by a single event, including any consequential failures resulting from this failure;
- snow traction device
means a snow chain or other equivalent device providing traction in snow, which shall be able to be mounted onto the vehicle's tyre/wheel combination and which is not a snow tyre, winter tyre, all-season tyre or any other tyre by itself.
- solo axle
means an axle that cannot be considered as part of a group of axles;
- spray suppression device
means part of the spray suppression system, which may comprise an air/water separator and an energy absorber;
- spray suppression system
means a system that reduces the pulverization of water thrown upwards by the tyres of a vehicle in motion and which is made up of a mudguard, rain flaps and valances equipped with a spray suppression device;
- standard equipment
means the basic configuration of a vehicle which is equipped with all the features that are required under the regulatory acts referred to in Annex II to Regulation (EU) 2018/858, including all features that are fitted without giving rise to any further specifications on configuration or equipment level;
- statutory plate
means a plate or label, affixed by the manufacturer on a vehicle that provide the main technical characteristics which are necessary for the identification of the vehicle and provides the competent authorities with the relevant information concerning the permissible maximum laden masses;
- steered wheels
means the wheels actuated by the vehicle's steering system;
- surface of grille
means a surface consisting of parallel bars which are spread evenly and have a mutual distance of not exceeding 15 mm;
- surface of patterned mesh
means a surface consisting of an evenly spread pattern of shapes such as round, oval, diamond, rectangular or square holes spread evenly at intervals not exceeding 15 mm;
- tailpipe emissions
means tailpipe emissions as defined in Article 3, paragraph (6), of Regulation (EC) No 715/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council.
- technically permissible maximum laden mass (M)
means the maximum mass allocated to a vehicle on the basis of its construction features and its design performances;
- technically permissible maximum laden mass of the combination (MC)
means the maximum mass allocated to the combination of a motor vehicle and one or more trailers on the basis of its construction features and its design performances or the maximum mass allocated to the combination of a tractor unit and a semi-trailer;
- technically permissible maximum mass at the coupling point
means:
- technically permissible maximum mass on a group of axles (μ)
means the mass corresponding to the maximum permissible static vertical load transmitted to the ground by the wheels of the group of axles, on the basis of the construction features of the group of axles and of the vehicle and their design performances;
- technically permissible maximum mass on the axle (m)
means the mass corresponding to the maximum permissible static vertical load transmitted to the ground by the wheels of the axle, on the basis of the construction features of the axle and of the vehicle and their design performances;
- technically permissible maximum towable mass (TM)
means the maximum mass of one or more trailers that may be towed by a towing vehicle which corresponds to the total load transmitted to the ground by the wheels of an axle or a group of axles on any trailer coupled to the towing vehicle;
- thermally-activated pressure relief device (TPRD)
means a non- reclosing PRD that is activated by temperature to open and release hydrogen gas;
- third of the frontal protection system
means the geometric trace between each corner of the frontal protection system, measured with a flexible tape following the outer horizontal contour of the frontal protection system, divided into three equal parts;
- three-dimensional reference system
means a reference grid as described in Annex 1 to the Consolidated Resolution on the Construction of Vehicles (R.E.3);
- towing device
means a device in the shape of a hook, eye or other form, to which a connecting part, such as a towing bar or towing rope, can be fitted;
- track
means the distance referred to in point 6.5. of Standard ISO 612:1978;
- type of hydrogen component
means a group of hydrogen components which do not differ in such essential respects as the state of stored hydrogen fuel or compressed gas, the function of the component and its structure, materials and physical dimensions.
- type of hydrogen storage system
means an assembly of components which do not differ in such essential respects as the state of stored hydrogen fuel or compressed gas, the nominal working pressure, the structure, materials, capacity and physical dimensions of the container as well as the structure, materials and essential characteristics of the pressure relief devices, check valves and shut-off valves;
- type of spray suppression device
means devices which do not differ with respect to the following main characteristics:
- type of windscreen washer system
means a group of windscreen washer systems which do not differ in such essential respects as the pump performance, materials used, storage capacity, number of nozzles, sizes, wall thicknesses or shape of the washer system;
- tyre envelope
means the maximum section width and outer-diameter of a tyre, including tolerances, as permitted and specified according to its component approval;
- unladen vehicle
means a vehicle in running order as stated in Annex XIII, Part 2, Section A, point 1.3.;
- upper frontal protection system height
means, at any transverse position, the vertical distance between the ground and the upper frontal protection system reference line, with the vehicle positioned in its normal ride attitude;
- upper frontal protection system reference line
means a line which identifies the upper limit to significant points of pedestrian contact with the frontal protection system.
- vehicle fuel system
means an assembly of components used to store or supply hydrogen fuel to a fuel cell (FC) or internal combustion engine (ICE).
- vehicle identification number (VIN)
means the alphanumeric code assigned to a vehicle by the manufacturer in order to ensure proper identification of every vehicle;
- 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;
- vehicle type
means a set of vehicles as defined in Part B of Annex I to Regulation (EU) 2018/858;
- vehicle type with regard to hydrogen safety
means a group of vehicles which do not differ in such essential respects as the basic configuration and main characteristics of the vehicle’s hydrogen fuel system;
- vehicle type with regard to reversing motion
means vehicles which do not differ in such essential respects as the characteristics of the reversing device;
- vehicle type with regard to spray suppression
means complete, incomplete or completed vehicles, which do not differ with respect to the following aspects:
- vehicle type with regard to the gear shift indicator (GSI)
means vehicles which do not differ in such essential respects as the functional characteristics of the GSI and the logic used by the GSI to determine when to indicate a gearshift point, including:
- vehicle type with regard to the masses and dimensions
means vehicles which do not differ in any of the following aspects:
- vehicle type with regard to the statutory markings
means vehicles which do not differ in such essential respects as:
- vehicle type with regard to the towing devices
means vehicles which do not differ in such essential respects as the characteristics of the towing devices;
- vehicle type with regard to the windscreen defrosting and demisting systems
means vehicles which do not differ in such essential respects as:
- vehicle type with regard to the windscreen wiper and washer system
means vehicles which do not differ in such essential respects as the characteristics of the wiper and washer system or the shape, size and characteristics of the windscreen and its mounting;
- vehicle type with regard to vehicle access
means vehicles which do not differ in such essential respects as the characteristics of door entry steps, handholds and running boards;
- vehicle type with regard to wheel guards
means vehicles which do not differ in such essential respects as the characteristics of the wheel guards or the minimum and maximum tyre and wheel sizes suitable for fitment, taking into account the applicable tyre envelopes, rim sizes and wheel off-sets;
- virtually flat surface
means a surface of solid material, which may also consist of patterned mesh or grille, with a radius of curvature of at least 3000 mm;
- vision area A
means test area A as defined in paragraph 2.2. of Annex 21 to UN Regulation No 43 on uniform provisions concerning the approval of safety glazing materials and their installation on vehicles;
- vision area B
means reduced test area B as defined in paragraph 2.4. of Annex 21 to UN Regulation 43, without the exclusion of the area defined in paragraph 2.4.1.
- washer control
means the device by which the washer system is manually activated and deactivated;
- washer pump
means a device for transferring fluid from the washer system storage reservoir to the outer face of the windscreen;
- wheelbase
means the following:
- width
means the dimension defined in point 6.2. of Standard ISO 612:1978;
- windscreen washer system
means the system consisting of devices for storing, transferring and aiming fluid towards the outer face of the windscreen, together with the controls necessary for starting and stopping the device;
- windscreen wiper system
means the system consisting of a device for wiping the outer face of the windscreen, together with the accessories and controls necessary for starting and stopping the device;
- wiper field
means the area(s) on the windscreen which is wiped by the wiper blade(s) when the wiper system is operating under normal conditions;
- wrap around distance
means the geometric trace described on the frontal upper surface or the frontal protection system by one end of a flexible tape, when it is held in a vertical longitudinal plane of the vehicle and traversed across the frontal upper surface or frontal protection system.