he National Emission Test Centre (NETC) was officially opened by deputy minister of international trade and industry Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan today. The NETC – located in Sg Choh, Rawang, adjacent to Perodua’s factory – is the first full-fledged emissions testing facility in Malaysia.
Its facilities include real-time measurement of exhaust emission gases for passenger cars in accordance with UN Regulation 83 and 101, and up to Euro 6b and 6c levels. The emissions lab is equipped with an Emissions Chassis Dynamometer within a climatic chamber. The centre also features a soak room, emissions and equipment room and a control room.
The RM50 million investment in NETC was borne by Perodua and the facility is managed by the Malaysian Automotive Institute (MAI). The centre is open to all vehicle manufacturers in ASEAN and Malaysia, which previously had no option to do emissions testing locally.
Emissions tests are a requirement for vehicles to comply with Vehicle Type Approval (VTA) and Energy Efficient Vehicle (EEV) certification in Malaysia. NETC, which currently only serves passenger cars, will be expanded to include emissions tests for commercial vehicles and motorcycles in three years time.
At the same event, MAI unveiled a voluntary EEV labelling scheme. The label stuck on EEVs will have a QR code for consumers to know more about the fuel efficiency and emissions of a particular vehicle. The EEV labelling scheme is an awareness platform for consumers, and is in line with Malaysia’s commitment to reduce carbon emissions by 45% by 2030, as outlined by the UNFCCC under the Paris Agreement.
There were also two memorandum of understanding (MoU) signings at the launch event. One MoU is between MAI and the Department of Environment (DOE). Both parties agreed to develop a pool of experts in environmental conservation, cooperate in capacity building programmes for the automotive industry and stakeholders, as well as the establishment of the NETC. The collaboration will work on pollution source data collection, environmental policies and tech roadmaps for the auto industry.
The other MoU is between MAI and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). It aims to increase government-acedemic cooperation with UKM’s Faculty of Economics and Management, focusing on the fields of economics, accounting, business and trade. The institute will engage and exchange info with UKM on things such as teaching, student development, research innovation and commercialisation within the automotive industry.
