ISO 17840-4:2018

Overview

ISO 17840-4:2018 - "Road vehicles - Information for first and second responders - Part 4: Propulsion energy identification" defines a uniform, international scheme for visually identifying the fuel and/or propulsion energy of road vehicles. The standard specifies a diamond-shaped label, colour coding, pictograms and layout rules that communicate propulsion type (e.g., petrol, diesel, CNG, LNG, hydrogen, electric high voltage) and related hazards to first and second responders. It applies to passenger cars, buses, coaches and light/heavy commercial vehicles as defined in ISO 3833 and is intended for use with rescue sheets and emergency response guides.

Key topics and technical requirements

• Label shape and layout
  • Diamond-shaped label with five zones: centre, upper, left, right, lower (lower reserved for future use).
  • Size and readability follow ISO 3864-1 recommendations; pictograms only (no text).
• Colour coding
  • Background colour equals the first energy source; defined RGB values for each group (e.g., light blue for hydrogen, green for compressed/liquid gas, orange for high voltage).
  • Labels must remain understandable in greyscale.
• Pictograms and zones
  • Centre: primary propulsion energy (priority for hybrids: gaseous fuel → electric → liquid).
  • Upper: secondary energy source (for hybrid/flexible fuels).
  • Left: gas behaviour by density (lighter/heavier than air).
  • Right: state of gaseous fuel storage (liquid, compressed, cryogenic).
  • Uses registered graphical symbols from ISO 7000 and IEC 60417 where applicable.
• Modular logic
  • The document provides rules for combining pictograms and colours to reflect hybrid and multi-fuel configurations; Annex A contains sample labels for common cases.

Practical applications

• Emergency response: Enables firefighters, paramedics and towing crews to quickly identify propulsion hazards at crash scenes, improving rescue speed and safety.
• Vehicle manufacturers: Standardizes on-vehicle labels to communicate vehicle energy systems to responders worldwide.
• Regulators and fleet operators: Incorporate into vehicle documentation, rescue sheets and emergency response guides to meet safety and interoperability goals.
• Training and safety programs: Used in responder training, emergency planning and risk assessments.

Who should use this standard

• First and second responders, vehicle OEMs, fleet managers, safety regulators, emergency planners, and organizations producing rescue sheets and emergency response guides.

Related standards

• ISO 17840-1, -2, -3 (rescue sheets & emergency response guide templates)
• ISO 3833 (vehicle categories)
• ISO 3864-1 (safety colours and sign design)
• ISO 7000 and IEC 60417 (graphical symbols)

Keywords: ISO 17840-4, propulsion energy identification, vehicle fuel labels, first responders, rescue sheet, emergency response guide, hybrid vehicle identification, high voltage label.