A web-based programme designed to guide vehicle manufacturers and bodybuilders through the European Whole Vehicle Type Approval (ECWVTA) system will be launched by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) today at the Commercial Vehicle Operator Show at the NEC in Birmingham.
With up to 50 approval criteria for a brand new vehicle model, SENTA – the SMMT European and National Type Approval guide, will ease the process for anyone looking to design and build a vehicle to be sold in the EU. Being phased in from 2010 to 2014, ECWVTA allows vehicles to be registered across all EU member states without the need for further testing in each country. If a vehicle does not have European type approval, the manufacturer must apply for either a national small series or individual approval in each member state before it can be sold.
SENTA details what a manufacturer must do from the original design idea, through the development and construction stages to completion of the approval process. The guide covers all categories of vehicles including passenger cars, vans, trucks, light and heavy trailers, buses, coaches and special purpose vehicles.
Supporting SENTA’s launch, SMMT chief executive, Paul Everitt said, “SENTA has been designed to simplify the approval process, easing the path from design to sale. SENTA allows companies to speed up the lengthy Type Approval process, effectively getting their product to market quicker. Across industry, as manufacturers introduce new products and launch new models, the guide will become an invaluable resource.”
Use of the SENTA guide is free for SMMT member companies and £900 per year for non-members.
