The National Emission Test Centre (NETC) was officially opened earlier today. This is the first full fledged vehicle emissions testing facility in Malaysia. The RM50 million centre, which is located in Rawang, includes real-time measurement of exhaust emission gases for passenger cars in accordance with UN Regulation 83 and 101 of which Malaysia is one of the first adopters in the South East Asian region. Also, in conjunction with the NETC launch, the launching of the Voluntary EEV Labelling Scheme also took place, followed by Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) exchanges between MAI and the Department of Environment (DOE) and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM).
The reason for the NETC is that these days, emissions tests are a requirement for vehicles to comply with Vehicle Type Approval (VTA) as well as the EEV certification which grants locally assembled cars tax rebates. The establishment of the NETC will allow for significant emissions test cost reduction and faster test cycle times, as logistical constraints due to overseas testing is eliminated. According to what we learnt, emissions testing actually costs between RM30,000 to RM40,000 per vehicle model and with this centre, the cost may be brought down by almost 30 to 40%. Of course, you only need one car per model to test, but it is still come savings here.
The emissions lab in the NETC is equipped with an Emission Chassis Dynamometer within a climatic chamber. It also features a soak room (above) where the test car is kept for a certain number of hours to make sure the vehicle's tempreature isn't affected by outside factors before it is driven to the emission & equipment room for emissions testing. It is something complete and it is able to test all petrol vehicles up to the Euro 6+ standard.
The unique fact about the NETC is that it is actually a form of technology transfer from Japanese vehicle manufacturer Daihatsu to local parters Perodua Auto Corporation Sdn Bhd. with MAI as the partner that will operate the centre. The centre will be operated by the Malaysia Automotive Institute (MAI) as a party neutral to the whole process. It would be quite hard to be impartial if the centre was operated by Perodua. It is open to all vehicle manufacturers in Malaysia and ASEAN for them to voluntarily test their vehicles for VTA and emissions regulations like the EEV certification. In the future, NETC will be also expanded to include motorcycles and commercial vehicles emission testing.
Today's launch event included the official launch of the Volutary EEV labelling scheme, a MoU Exchange between MAI and DOE and a MoU Exchange between MAI and UKM. The breakdown of the events is stated below.
Voluntary EEV Labelling Scheme
The scheme serves as an awareness platform for consumers on the fuel efficiency of their vehicles and also encourage the uptake of low-emission vehicles. The Voluntary EEV Label, is a label to be placed on certified EEVs, for consumers to collect details of the particular model with only a scan of a QR code.
It is also in line with Malaysia’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions by 45% by the year 2030, as outlined by the UNFCCC under the Paris Agreement. The scheme is also aimed at increasing market competitiveness while conforming to environmental policies and regulations.
MoU Exchange between MAI and DOE
MAI and the Department of Environment (DOE) signed an MoU to enhance collaboration between the two parties in furthering initiatives towards environmental preservation. Through the MoU, both parties agree to develop a pool of experts in environmental conservation, cooperate in capacity building programs for automotive industries and stakeholders, as well as the establishment of the NETC.
In addition, the collaboration allows experts from both parties to strengthen research and technical support for the enhancement of pollution source data collection, environmental policy and technology roadmaps for the automotive industry.
MoU Exchange between MAI and UKM
Lastly, the exchange of MoU between MAI and UKM (National University Malaysia) aims to increase government-academic cooperation with the Faculty of Economics and Management, UKM as a research university and strategic partner to MAI. The collaboration focuses on the fields of economics, accounting,
business and trade.
Through the MoU, MAI will also engage the faculty as a university-industrial partner, and exchange information related to developments in teaching, student development, research innovation and commercialisation within the automotive industry.
The NETC was launched by Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry, Datuk Haji Ahmad Haji Maslan, representing the Minister of International Trade and Industry, YB Dato’ Sri Mustapa Mohamed.
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