With the development of engine building in individual countries, technical instructions arose indicating the direction in which the design of vehicles with internal combustion engines should be developed in order to ensure the safety of operation, passengers and the environment. It is possible that these instructions in individual countries initially differed greatly from each other. This slowed down the import and export of vehicles, since it was necessary to adapt vehicles for each country according to local instructions.
In an effort to simplify the situation, bodies were created within the UN European Economic Commission (EEC) with the mission of unifying the various national regulations and thereby facilitating, simplifying and reducing the cost of approving imported vehicles with internal combustion engines. The result of the implementation of these efforts was the so-called Geneva Agreement on the Mutual Recognition of the Homologation of Equipment and Components of Vehicles with Internal Combustion Engines. The states that entered into the agreement (and Czechoslovakia was one of the first), have committed to issuing permits for operation in their own countries only to those vehicles that meet the unified requirements of the UN EHC. Therefore, vehicles and their equipment must undergo official inspection before being put on sale (homologation) in an authorized testing station of any member state of the agreement. The issued protocols are mutually recognized. The testing stations of individual countries have their own number, which is placed after the letter E and together with it is placed in a circle. The Czech Republic has been assigned number 8. The homology designation must be present on each product. The numbers following the introductory designation refer to unified regulations.
The Czech Republic has incorporated most of the UN EHC regulations and the ECHO guidelines into national regulations. The number of homologation symbols affixed is evidence that can be used to judge how safe a vehicle is in terms of operation and the environment. Every car manufacturer, including ŠKODA – a.s., strives to ensure that its products comply with as many UN EHC regulations and ECHO guidelines as possible.
UNECC Guidelines and, for the most part, equivalent ECHO Guidelines can be distinguished either by the testing station that reviews their implementation or by the guarantor that orders the tests.
The tests to determine whether the Skoda Octavia as a whole complies with the UN EHC guidelines were carried out by the Prague Institute for the Study of Vehicles with Combustion Engines (UVMV). It evaluates, for example, child seats and similar components installed in the vehicle individually or additionally, at the request of the manufacturers of these products.
Homologation of lighting devices is carried out in the Czech Republic by the Electrotechnical Research Institute (EZU). UNECE regulations are designated by ECE R and a number corresponding to the part or unit and the instructions of the testing station. For example: ECE R. 10 – suppression of interference in electrical wiring, ECE R 83 – exhaust emissions, ECE R 8 – halogen main lamps, etc.
Compliance with EXO guidelines (European Economic Society) the German research institute TUM tested the above-mentioned vehicle type. The Institute of Rubber Technology and Testing (IGTT) is responsible for testing elastic elements for compliance with ECE R 30. Skoda vehicles of the Octavia series comply with 42 UN ECE Directives and 45 ECHO Directives, in other words, all the instructions to which the Czech Republic has acceded and which apply to passenger cars. Given the excessive variety and quantity, no description of individual signs is provided here.
(The original article can be found on the resource: SkodaBook.ru)