In 1999 the Federal Government's Motor Vehicle Environment Committee (MVEC) commenced a program of consultation to achieve further improvements to vehicle exhaust emissions from vehicles converted to run on LPG auto gas. Current diesel and petrol vehicle manufacturers were already required to build vehicles in accordance with Australian Design Rules (ADRs) for exhaust and evaporative emission performance.

The end result is new requirements that will lead to an increasingly technically advanced retrofit conversion industry due to the increasing complexity of vehicle engines. This will provide the Federal Government with some assurance that retrofitted LPG options when fitted will retain the original vehicles emission compliance on vehicles plated after Dec 2003.

The compliance by vehicle manufacturers to the latest emission ADRs started according to their production timetables but by 1st Jan 2004 all new vehicles sold and less than 3.5 tone Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) had to comply with ADR 79/00. The various state regulations operate in different ways but essentially all states require the same level of compliance and will be monitoring conformance with this ADR after October 2004.

NEW EMISSION REQUIREMENTS

For emissions performance from retrofitted vehicles, the automotive LPG options installed on ADR79/00 (Euro2) vehicles from 1 Jan 2004 and installed on ADR79/01 (Euro3) vehicles from 1 Jan 2006 will need to have been "type approved" on representative test cars.

This requirement has been incorporated in the 2003 edition of the Australian Standard "AS/NZS 1425-2003 LP Gas fuel systems for vehicle engines" describing procedures for providing assurance of compliance with current exhaust emission standards. Clause 1.8 and Appendix D of the standard outlines requirements for testing vehicles, manufactured under ADR 79/00, ADR 79/01, ADR 70/00, ADR 80/00 and ADR 80/01. In relation to ADR 79/01 vehicles, the standards committee will examine the need for further testing requirements for providing assurance of compliance prior to 2005.

This new requirement does not apply to light vehicles meeting ADR37/01 or earlier, however the existing requirement to retain compliance by retrofitting LPG options with closed loop control still remains. The options listed are for passenger and light commercial vehicles up to a Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) of 3.5 tones.

This option or assembly list of options enables Statutory Authorities, installers and the general public to establish which automotive LPG option can be supplied and fitted to particular vehicles and be compliant with Clause 1.8 and the Appendix D requirements of AS/NZS 1425-2003.