§ 1037.225 - Amending applications for certification.

§ 1037.225 Amending applications for certification.

Cross Reference

Link to an amendment published at 88 FR 4639, Jan. 24, 2023.

Before we issue you a certificate of conformity, you may amend your application to include new or modified vehicle configurations, subject to the provisions of this section. After we have issued your certificate of conformity, you may send us an amended application any time before the end of the model year requesting that we include new or modified vehicle configurations within the scope of the certificate, subject to the provisions of this section. You must amend your application if any changes occur with respect to any information that is included or should be included in your application.

(a) You must amend your application before you take any of the following actions:

(1) Add any vehicle configurations to a vehicle family that are not already covered by your application. For example, if your application identifies three possible engine models, and you plan to produce vehicles using an additional engine model, then you must amend your application before producing vehicles with the fourth engine model. The added vehicle configurations must be consistent with other vehicle configurations in the vehicle family with respect to the criteria listed in § 1037.230.

(2) Change a vehicle configuration already included in a vehicle family in a way that may change any of the components you described in your application for certification, or make any other changes that would make the emissions inconsistent with the information in your application. This includes production and design changes that may affect emissions any time during the vehicle's lifetime.

(3) Modify an FEL for a vehicle family as described in paragraph (f) of this section.

(b) To amend your application for certification, send the relevant information to the Designated Compliance Officer.

(1) Describe in detail the addition or change in the vehicle model or configuration you intend to make.

(2) Include engineering evaluations or data showing that the amended vehicle family complies with all applicable requirements. You may do this by showing that the original emission-data vehicle is still appropriate for showing that the amended family complies with all applicable requirements.

(3) If the original emission-data vehicle or emission modeling for the vehicle family is not appropriate to show compliance for the new or modified vehicle configuration, include new test data or emission modeling showing that the new or modified vehicle configuration meets the requirements of this part.

(4) Include any other information needed to make your application correct and complete.

(c) We may ask for more test data or engineering evaluations. You must give us these within 30 days after we request them.

(d) For vehicle families already covered by a certificate of conformity, we will determine whether the existing certificate of conformity covers your newly added or modified vehicle. You may ask for a hearing if we deny your request (see § 1037.820).

(e) The amended application applies starting with the date you submit the amended application, as follows:

(1) For vehicle families already covered by a certificate of conformity, you may start producing a new or modified vehicle configuration any time after you send us your amended application and before we make a decision under paragraph (d) of this section. However, if we determine that the affected vehicles do not meet applicable requirements in this part, we will notify you to cease production of the vehicles and may require you to recall the vehicles at no expense to the owner. Choosing to produce vehicles under this paragraph (e) is deemed to be consent to recall all vehicles that we determine do not meet applicable emission standards or other requirements in this part and to remedy the nonconformity at no expense to the owner. If you do not provide information required under paragraph (c) of this section within 30 days after we request it, you must stop producing the new or modified vehicles.

(2) [Reserved]

(f) You may ask us to approve a change to your FEL in certain cases after the start of production. The changed FEL may not apply to vehicles you have already introduced into U.S. commerce, except as described in this paragraph (f). You may ask us to approve a change to your FEL in the following cases:

(1) You may ask to raise your FEL for your vehicle subfamily at any time. In your request, you must show that you will still be able to meet the emission standards as specified in subparts B and H of this part. Use the appropriate FELs with corresponding production volumes to calculate emission credits for the model year, as described in subpart H of this part.

(2) Where testing applies, you may ask to lower the FEL for your vehicle subfamily only if you have test data from production vehicles showing that emissions are below the proposed lower FEL. Otherwise, you may ask to lower your FEL for your vehicle subfamily at any time. The lower FEL applies only to vehicles you produce after we approve the new FEL. Use the appropriate FELs with corresponding production volumes to calculate emission credits for the model year, as described in subpart H of this part.

(3) You may ask to add an FEL for your vehicle family at any time.

(g) You may produce vehicles as described in your amended application for certification and consider those vehicles to be in a certified configuration if we approve a new or modified vehicle configuration during the model year under paragraph (d) of this section. Similarly, you may modify in-use vehicles as described in your amended application for certification and consider those vehicles to be in a certified configuration if we approve a new or modified vehicle configuration at any time under paragraph (d) of this section. Modifying a new or in-use vehicle to be in a certified configuration does not violate the tampering prohibition of 40 CFR 1068.101(b)(1), as long as this does not involve changing to a certified configuration with a higher family emission limit. See § 1037.621(g) for special provisions that apply for changing to a different certified configuration in certain circumstances.

[81 FR 74048, Oct. 25, 2016, as amended at 86 FR 34461, June 29, 2021; 88 FR 4639, Jan. 24, 2023]