● It shall apply for new types vehicle from 6 July 2022 and for new cars vehicle from 6 July 2024.

● Alcohol interlocks are mostly intended for aftermarket installation. Such installation should not interfere with the proper performance or maintenance of the vehicle, should not impair the safety and security of the vehicle.

● It is therefore necessary to require vehicle manufacturers to make available on their websites a document with clear instructions for installation of the alcohol interlocks (‘installation document’). 

● As some of the information contained in the installation document may relate to security-related vehicle repair and maintenance information services, it should only be available to the independent operators that are authorised by accredited entities in accordance with Appendix 3 of Annex X to Regulation (EU) 2018/858.

● Alcohol interlock installation facilitation shall allow the fitting or retrofitting of an alcohol interlock complying with European Standards EN 50436-1:2014 or EN 50436-2:2014+A1:2015. 

● The vehicle system as regards alcohol interlock installation facilitation in each motor vehicle of categories M and N shall conform to the relevant vehicle model as laid down in the alcohol interlock installation document (‘installation document’), conforming to European Standard EN 50436-7:2016. For this purpose, the installation document shall cover at least one of the options in EN 50436-7:2016 Annex C 3a, 3b or 3c.

● Vehicle manufacturers shall put in place the necessary arrangements and procedures to ensure that vehicle alcohol interlock facilitation information, in the form of relevant details of the standardised installation document, is accessible in accordance with Annex X of Regulation (EU) 2018/858.

● Manufacturer’s declaration: the vehicle manufacturer shall annex to the information document a declaration made out using the template set out in the Appendix to this Annex.

● The installation document shall contain a detailed description, diagrams and images explaining the installation of an alcohol interlock, covering any of the following sets of information:

○ the information regarding battery feed, ground, vehicle ready and start enabler;

○ the information regarding battery feed, ground, vehicle ready and start-allowing or start-prohibiting input and output line, and an optional detection of propulsion capability (e.g. engine run) or vehicle moving signal line; or

○ the information regarding battery feed, ground and a data bus connection.

● Any additional software, hardware or procedures necessary to allow the installation of an alcohol interlock in a standard vehicle shall be identified and indicated in the installation document.

● The alcohol interlock shall be in the blocking state normally. The blocking state of the alcohol interlock shall be achieved by either an open output relay, a corresponding output signal or the corresponding digital bus message. The closure of this relay or the change of the blocking output signal into the non-blocking output signal or the transmission of the corresponding non-blocking data bus message shall occur when an accepted breath sample with an alcohol concentration below the pre-set limit has been delivered.

● An installed alcohol interlock shall only intervene in the engine starting process or in allowing the vehicle to move under its own power upon the activation of the vehicle master control switch and the alcohol interlock shall not influence a running engine or a moving vehicle.

Regarding to this regulation, manufacturers can choose to provide either a standardized interface or a detailed and accurate guidance document for the retrofitting/wiring of after-market alcohol interlocking devices in accordance with the EN 50436-7:2016 standard format to ensure that the easy and safe after-market installation of alcohol interlocking devices does not affect other safety features of the vehicle.

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