A vehicle cannot be sold and obtain the necessary registration for driving on public roads, unless it is built according to legal specifications. In Europe the agreement of these specifications with existing laws is demonstrated, by two official documents: the certificate of homologation and the certificate of conformity. The first document proves that the vehicle is designed according to legal requirements. It is issued by a public authority in charge of this function; in Italy, for instance, that authority is the Department of Transportation. The homologation certificate is issued on the basis of a technical report of the manufacturer and. | 19 REGULATIONS A vehicle cannot be sold and obtain the necessary registration for driving on public roads unless it is built according to legal specifications. In Europe the agreement of these specifications with existing laws is demonstrated by two official documents the certificate of homologation and the certificate of conformity. The first document proves that the vehicle is designed according to legal requirements. It is issued by a public authority in charge of this function in Italy for instance that authority is the Department of Transportation. The homologation certificate is issued on the basis of a technical report of the manufacturer and the completion of given tests performed on prototypes of that vehicle. The second document proves that any produced vehicle is identical in terms of homologation requirements to the tested and approved prototype this document is issued by an appointed representative of the manufacturer for instance the general manager of the final assembly plant. Vehicle conformity can at any time be verified by the public authority in charge by inspection of samples of produced vehicles and tests for requirements of the homologation certificate. Homologation requirements are set by government laws which impose minimum and maximum accepted values and the related test methods to be used for their verification the manufacturer is free to identify the most suitable technologies to be employed for their fulfillment. These requirements are relevant to part of the vehicle functions we have already introduced in previous chapters particularly for outside visibility minimum dynamic performance necessary to grant a safe drive G. Genta L. Morello The Automotive Chassis Volume 2 System Design Mechanical Engineering Series Springer Science Business Media . 2009 71 72 19. REGULATIONS occupant protection in case of collision reduction of the environmental load caused by vehicle traffic with particular reference to polluting gases carbon dioxide .
