from Yandan Lin (Fudan University), Wei Wang and Weili Bu (SMVIC)
On 27–28 June, immediately following IFAL (the International Forum on Automotive Lighting), the fifth Sino-Europe Conference on Automotive Lighting Regulations and Standards and the first Executive Summit on International Automotive Lighting Innovation Technology and Standardisation were held in Shanghai. Organisers included:
• The vehicle lamp branch of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (VLB-CAAM)
• The IFAL organising committee
• Sub-Committee 21 on Lighting and Light Signalling of the National Technical Committee 114 on Road Vehicles of the Standardisation Administration of China (SAC/TC114/SC21),
• Shanghai Motor Vehicle Inspection Certification & Tech Innovation Centre (SMVIC)
• Committee of Transportation Lighting and Signaling
• China Illuminating Engineering Society.
More than 40 representatives from Chinese and international vehicle and lamp manufacturers and testing institutions attended the meeting. In recent years, the industry of automobile lamps and lighting has shown a rapid growth trend, along with the emergence of various new technologies and products. However, the contradiction between the rapid development of products and the lagging of standards and regulations remains and has become more and more obvious. One of the main reasons for this contradiction is the lack of basic research to support the establishment of standards in China. The field of automobile lamps and lighting urgently needs a platform which can continually provide scientific and technical input for the development of standards, and these meetings were held to address this issue.
As secretariat of Subcommittee 21 on Lighting and Light signalling, SMVIC are responsible for facilitating the revision of national and industrial standards in this field. Meanwhile they have the IFAL exchange platform for latest technologies and academics in this field, so they can focus on high-end, hot and innovative technologies.
In previous years, the Sino-Europe Conference on Automotive Lighting Regulations and Standards was held every two years, alternately in China and Europe. The purpose of the conference was to establish a professional communication platform between China and Europe on technology, standards, and regulations. This platform aimed to improve the understanding and coördination between China and Europe on Chinese standards and UN Regulations on automobile lamps, whilst promoting the development of technology, standards and regulations. This year’s conference was different; it was closely linked to the first Executive Summit on International Automotive Lighting Innovation Technology and Standardisation to create a platform dedicated to speeding new standards for new technologies.
The rubric was “Paving Regulatory Road for New Technology Application in China”, and the meeting had three sessions: Regulation & Homologation, Advanced Lighting Technology, and New Lighting Technologies for Communication & Automation. WeiLi Bu, Secretary General of SC21, SMVIC, gave a keynote speech on Ideas and Suggestions for Standards & Regulations of Vehicle Lighting in the Future.
