Industry standard

Recently, the CQC's passenger vehicle in-car air quality evaluation project has been recognized by enterprises and testing institutions, and enterprises will actively participate in the voluntary certification of passenger vehicle in-car air quality. With the completion of the upgrade of the "Guidelines for Passenger Vehicle In-Car Air Quality Evaluation" from recommendation to mandatory, the evaluation of volatile organic pollutants (VOCs) in vehicles is expected to become mandatory certification.

CQC Evaluation Methodology Recognized

In recent years, with the rapid development of China's automotive market, in-car air quality has increasingly attracted widespread social attention. There is a huge demand from society and consumers in the field of in-car air quality testing and evaluation. However, the test results from enterprises themselves are difficult to convince the public. With a more rational and mature consumption trend, my country urgently needs a professional and authoritative third-party testing institution to conduct relevant testing, evaluation, and information dissemination, and to gradually promote the improvement of relevant standards systems, assist in the upgrading of consumption concepts, and promote the promotion and popularization of vehicle models with in-car air quality that is more conducive to passenger health. As a third-party professional certification body, the China Quality Certification Center (CQC) is committed to helping clients improve product and service quality through certification and promoting communication and cooperation among all sectors. Meanwhile, CQC has accumulated extensive experience in automotive and auto parts certification, and in-vehicle air quality has always been a focus of CQC's attention.

At the "In-Vehicle Air Quality Evaluation Workshop" held on March 27th last year, CQC launched the passenger vehicle in-vehicle air quality evaluation project. At the meeting, experts discussed the draft "Implementation Rules for Passenger Vehicle In-Vehicle Air Quality Evaluation" prepared by CQC and offered suggestions for revision. In May and July of the same year, CQC again invited experts from well-known domestic testing institutions to conduct in-depth discussions on the technical methods for in-vehicle air quality testing and evaluation. Following the meetings, CQC further revised the "Implementation Rules for Passenger Vehicle In-Vehicle Air Quality Evaluation" and jointly developed methods such as "Sampling and Determination Methods for Volatile Organic Compounds and Aldehydes and Ketones in Automobile Passenger Cabins," "PM2.5 Detection and Evaluation Methods in Passenger Vehicle In-Vehicle Air," and "Odor Detection and Evaluation Methods in Passenger Vehicles." These methods have now been recognized by enterprises and testing institutions. Last August, a preliminary test of passenger vehicle interior air quality was conducted at the Shanghai Motor Vehicle Testing Center and Ningbo Automobile Testing Co., Ltd. Sixteen sample vehicles from 13 automakers (imported, joint venture, and domestic) were tested, achieving good results and effectively validating the implementation details and testing evaluation methods. On October 17th of the same year, five organizations, including the China Quality Certification Center, announced the official launch of the passenger vehicle interior air quality evaluation program at the 2014 China International Energy-Saving and Environmentally Friendly Vehicle Exhibition and Energy-Saving and New Energy Vehicle Achievements Exhibition.

Currently, the evaluation application system is online, and applications can be submitted online through the CQC website's product certification system.

Tong Lingsheng stated that the significance of passenger vehicle interior air quality evaluation lies in establishing a database to understand the current VOC situation in automobiles; standardizing VOC testing conditions and methods to accumulate data, experience, and technology for standard revision, thereby reducing VOCs at the source; guiding consumption, promoting healthier, lower-carbon, and more environmentally friendly automotive products and technologies, improving my country's automotive design and manufacturing level, and protecting consumers' health rights.

When discussing CQC's future plans for in-vehicle air quality, Tong Lingsheng stated that the first step is to complete the existing passenger vehicle in-vehicle air quality assessment work. Next, they will promote voluntary certification for passenger vehicle in-vehicle air quality. As the "Guidelines for Passenger Vehicle In-Vehicle Air Quality Assessment" standard transitions from recommendation to mandatory, and with the progress of automotive product certification, CQC will advance mandatory VOC certification.

Assessment and Certification Roadmap

The passenger vehicle in-vehicle air quality assessment applies to newly manufactured passenger vehicles that are driven on Chinese highways and urban roads, have obtained national mandatory product certification, and are intended for sale. Tong Lingsheng explained that currently, it is limited to new vehicles. Furthermore, while the passenger vehicle in-vehicle air quality assessment is currently limited to passenger vehicles, it will be expanded to commercial vehicles and other related automotive parts products in the future. It will also be extended to in-use vehicles in the future.

The assessment process includes four stages: application, acceptance, product inspection, and assessment approval. Submit your application on the CQC website, along with the "Application Form for Air Quality Evaluation of Passenger Car Interiors," a copy of the mandatory certification certificate for the vehicle model (and the certificate must be valid), and a description of the product and key components. Upon receiving the application, CQC will review its completeness and compliance. If the application meets the requirements, the applicant will be notified of acceptance; if it does not meet the requirements, the applicant will be notified to supplement, modify, or the application will be returned.

The standards and methods used for product testing include GB/T 27630-2011 "Guidelines for Air Quality Evaluation of Passenger Car Interiors," HJ/T 400-2007 "Sampling and Determination Methods for Volatile Organic Compounds and Aldehydes and Ketones in Vehicle Interiors," CQC9205-2014 "Sampling and Determination Methods for Volatile Organic Compounds and Aldehydes and Ketones in Automobile Passenger Cabins," CQC9206-2014 "Methods for PM2.5 Detection and Evaluation in Passenger Car Interiors," and CQC9207-2014 "Methods for Odor Detection and Evaluation in Passenger Car Interiors," etc.

According to Tong Lingsheng, the CQC's evaluation of passenger vehicle interior air quality includes 10 components: formaldehyde, benzene, acrolein, acetaldehyde, toluene, ethylbenzene, styrene, xylene, PM2.5, and interior odor. The first eight are limits from the "Guidelines for Evaluating Air Quality in Passenger Vehicles," while the last two are observation items—an expansion and improvement.

After CQC approval, an evaluation notification is issued to the manufacturer according to the evaluation unit. Product information is made public, and user complaints are monitored. CQC will publish the evaluation results for each vehicle model on its relevant website to guide vehicle consumption. It also accepts user complaints and establishes a linkage mechanism with evaluated companies to improve user service levels. User complaint information is also used to guide the determination of whether the evaluation of the company remains valid. (Source: China Quality Daily)