Shanghai to implement China Ⅵ standard for heavy-duty vehicles from July 1, 2020

Chinese mega city Shanghai will enforce the China Ⅵ emission standards that apply to heavy-duty diesel-fueled vehicles (hereafter referred to as “China VI”) from July 1, 2020, according to an announcement posted on the official website of Shanghai municipal government.

The urban vehicles sold and registered in Shanghai after July 1, 2020 are required to comply with the China Ⅵ-a, and the China Ⅵ-b standards will be effective from Jan. 1, 2021 to the gas-powered heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs).

Shanghai's implementation of the China Ⅵ standards is made to further strengthen the pollution prevention and control, and continue to improve local environmental quality, according to the announcement, which was jointly issued by Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Ecology and Environment, Shanghai Municipal Police and Shanghai Administration for Market Regulation.

The standard generally applies to the M1 vehicles with a gross weight above 3,500kg, and all M2, M3, N1, N2 and N3 vehicles—the codes are used to distinguish vehicles based on their purposes, gross weights and number of seats. The urban vehicles hereby refer to diesel-engine-powered buses, postal service vehicles and sanitation vehicles running in urban areas. The HDVs are gas-powered vehicles equipped with a spark-ignition engine.

On June 28, 2018, China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment released the final rule for the aforesaid China Ⅵ, which was set to be implemented in two phases. The China Ⅵ-a should take effect on July 1, 2019 for new gas-fueled HDVs, on July 1, 2020 for new urban HDVs, and on July 1, 2021 for the remaining new HDVs. The China Ⅵ-b will come into force on January 1, 2021 for new gas-powered HDVs, and on July 1, 2023 for all new HDVs.

The China Ⅵ-b emission standards designed for light-duty vehicles has been officially implemented in Shanghai since last year’s July 1, 2019, four years earlier than the central government's request.