Certification Process: Who is the Executive Officer?

Who is the Executive Officer (EO)? The EO is an individual who is talked about a lot during the On-Board Diagnostics (OBD) certification process. Many have heard of the EO but have little idea of what their role entails. This blog will uncover the role and answer the question, who is the Executive Officer?

The EO is an individual that has been appointed by the California Air Recourses Board (CARB) and assigned to a specific manufacturer to critically review the certification application documents submitted by the manufacturer. Further, the EO can approve OBD strategies or manufacture’s requests prior to submitting the certification application. A couple examples could be either, approving a new/redesigned OBD monitoring system or even something as simple as requesting an engine control unit (ECU) to support more than 2 CALID/CVN (calibration identification and verification number) prior to the certification application.

Once all certification documentation has been submitted to CARB, the EO will review the submission. The review process can take 4-6 weeks and at any point the EO can deny these documents if they are incomplete, which could potentially delay production. It is very common for the EO to ask questions during their review of the documentation, which is commonly referred to as CARB Q&A (Questions & Answers). This just shows the importance of having clean and accurate paperwork before submission. A vehicle which lacks CARB certification is not able to be sold in CARB certified states (or perhaps within the US market lacking EPA certification). During the OBD certification process, a manufacturer must complete all the recommended and mandatory steps. Upon certification approval, CARB will send the manufacturer a certification letter which allows the manufacturer to sell vehicles within the United States.