UNECE LNG Vehicles Regulation Adopted

Recently relevant regulatory changes affecting the approval of vehicles using LNG have been introduced. The adoption of amendments to United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Regulation 110 now allows LNG vehicles to be fully certified and represents a major breakthrough for gas-powered mobility.

The modified regulation comes into force in July 2014 when Contracting Parties also must begin to conform their national regulations to the new R110.

Despite specifically referencing Europe, the work of the UNECE has global implications, mainly via a number of treaties to which large numbers of non-European nations are signatories. With more than 50 countries relying on UN regulations, this development represents an important achievement that will provide significant growth in the global natural gas vehicle industry over the coming years.

For many years, the safety prescriptions of Compressed Natural Gas components and systems installed in natural gas vehicles have been contained in UNECE Regulation 110, with the European Union being one of the 48 parties signing the 1958 Agreement that governs it. This has made possible that approvals granted for either CNG components or vehicles according to UNECE R110 could be mutually recognised within the EU, fostering the widespread use of vehicles using CNG.

It has not been until November 2013 that this text has been amended and approved in order to include LNG in its scope. This process has been carried out by the Task Force on Liquefied Natural Gas vehicles (TF-LNG), a dedicated group of industry experts that prepared all the necessary amendments. This group has counted with the direct participation of major European and North-American LNG component and vehicle manufacturers, as well as with the direct support of NGVA Europe and NGV Global as co-secretariats.

In addition to the safety requirements for the on-board LNG system (storage tanks, vaporizers, pressure regulator, valves, fuel lines, fittings, etc.) the text also includes a requirement for the LNG storage tank on minimum holding time (time without venting) of 5 days after having been filled net full and at the highest point in the design filling temperature/pressure range. R.110 is seen as a benchmark regulation for the global NGV community governing the testing and safety of NGV components, including retrofit and factory-built vehicles.