National Emission Test Centre Officially Launched
The first full-fledged vehicle emissions test facility in Malaysia, the National Emission Test Centre (NETC), has been officially launched. Situated near the Perodua manufacturing plant in Rawang, the NETC cost RM50 million to set up, with testing equipment contributed by Daihatsu via its subsidiary, Perodua Auto Corporation Sdn Bhd.
The centre will be run by the Malaysia Automotive Institute (MAI) and will be available to all vehicle manufacturers in Malaysia as well as ASEAN for emissions testing. The centre is capable of producing real-time results of exhaust emissions according to UN Regulation 83 and 101.
Emissions tests are required for vehicle manufacturers to comply with the Vehicle Type Approval (VTA) and Energy Efficient Vehicle (EEV) certification. With the establishment of the NETC, manufacturers will save on logistical costs and time as they no longer need to ship vehicles overseas for such tests.
The testing facility is made up of a soak room (where the vehicles stay until they reach a pre-set temperature), an emission & equipment room, and a control room. The testing can be done for cold weather as well as hot, gasoline direct injection (GDI) and non-GDI vehicles. There is also a plan to expand testing to motorcycles and commercial vehicles in the near future.
“As Malaysia moves to improve energy efficiency in transportation, reducing carbon emissions is vital to meet global standards. The National Emission Test Centre, being the first full-fledged emission test centre in the country, will serve OEMs operating in Malaysia and the ASEAN region,” said Dato’ Madani Sahari, CEO of MAI.
“The establishment of NETC is timely and consistent with Government’s intention as specified in NAP 2014. NETC is able to facilitate automotive manufacturers in Malaysia to conduct emissions testing locally as well as to further promote EEV usage in Malaysia. This is a stepping stone to make Malaysia a regional hub for EEVs in the near future,” according to Dato’ Sri Mustapa Mohamad, Minister of International Trade and Industry.
In conjunction with the launch of the NETC was the introduction of the Voluntary EEV Label. This label is placed on EEV certified vehicles and information of said vehicles can be obtained by consumers by scanning the QR code.
This label serves as an awareness platform for consumers on a vehicle’s fuel efficiency and emissions, as Malaysia is committed to reducing carbon emissions by 45% by year 2030 according to the Paris Agreement.
At the same time, MAI signed two Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) – one with the Department of Environment (DOE) to collaborate on initiatives towards environmental preservation, and the other with Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) to increase government-academic cooperation.
The MOU with DOE aims to develop a pool of experts in environmental conservation, cooperate in capacity building programs for the automotive industry and its stakeholders, as well as on the establishment of the NETC. The goal is to enhance research and technical support for data collection to aid in the forming of environmental policy and technology roadmaps for the local automotive industry.
The MOU with UKM is to enhance cooperation with the Faculty of Economics and Management, and to engage UKM as a university-industrial partner for information exchange relating to the development of teaching, research and commercialization.
