Vietnam proposes draft circular on energy labeling of electric vehicles, motorcycles, and mopeds 
NOTE:
On Dec. 30, 2022, Vietnam’s Ministry of Transport published the Circular on Energy Efficiency Labeling Rules for Electric Vehicles and Motorcycles (48/2022/TT-BGTVT). See more details below:
Vietnam to start energy labeling rules for EV
On November 7, 2022, the Ministry of Transport of Vietnam published the “Draft Circular guiding on energy labeling for electric cars, motorcycles and moped” (hereinafter referred to as the Draft) on the WTO/TBT website, and began soliciting comments. The Draft requires manufacturers and importers of hybrid or electric vehicles and motorcycles/mopeds (hereinafter referred to as Target Vehicles) to declare energy consumption, attach energy labels, and report annually.
The original text of the Draft can be downloaded from the following URL:
https://eping.wto.org/en/Search/Index?viewData=G%2FTBT%2FN%2FVNM%2F245
Target Vehicles
The specific items to be displayed on target vehicles and the energy label are as follows:
| Target Vehicles | Display items on the energy label |
|---|---|
| OVC HEV: off-vehicle charging hybrid electric vehicle |
|
| Electric cars and motorcycles/mopeds
(EV: pure electric vehicle) |
|
| NOVC HEV: not off-vehicle charging hybrid electric vehicle |
|
Declaration of energy consumption
Manufacturers and importers must declare information on the energy consumption of their products to the Vietnam Registration Office Quality Control Organization before affixing energy labels. The declared energy consumption shall be based on the test report (*) specified in Article 7 of the Draft, and the difference from the measurement result shall be within 4%. When multiple measurements are performed, the measured results are the average values. The forms for the declaration of energy consumption for each type of vehicle are in accordance with Annexes II and III of the Draft. In addition, if the actual energy consumption exceeds the declared value by more than 4% following inspection by the authorities, a re-report is required.
(*) This test must be conducted at a laboratory accredited by an international organization such as the Vietnam Laboratory Accreditation Scheme (VILAS), the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC), or the Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (APLAC). In addition, various test criteria are specified in Chapter II of the Draft.
Applying energy labels
Manufacturers and importers must affix energy labels after submitting the above energy consumption declaration and prior to the market distribution of automobiles and motorcycles. The application location shall be in accordance with the following current laws and regulations regarding energy labels.
| Target vehicles | Provisions for energy labeling locations |
|---|---|
|
Article 12, paragraph 2 of Circular 43/2014/TTLT-BGTVT-BCT |
|
Article 7, paragraph 2 of Circular 59/2018/TT-BGTVT |
Annual report on the application of energy labels
Manufacturers and importers must submit an annual report on energy labeling to the Vietnam Registration Office by December 20 each year. This report contains information on the quantity of target vehicles for which energy labels were applied and the annual energy consumption of the facility (for domestic manufacturers) for the period from December 15 of the previous year to December 14 of the current year. The form of the report shall follow Annex VIII of the Draft.
