Malaysia’s First Emission Test Centre Launched

The Malaysia Automotive Institute (MAI) together with the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) and Department of Environment (DOE) have jointly launched the country’s first National Emission Test Centre (NETC) in Rawang.

The NETC, located near the Perodua manufacturing plant cost RM50 million to set up, will be operated by MAI and will be available to all vehicle manufacturers locally and regionally (ASEAN) for testing of emissions standard and fuel consumption in accordance to UN Regulations R83 and R101.

“As Malaysia moves to improve energy efficiency in transportation, reducing carbon emissions is vital to meet global standards. The NETC, 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 emissions lab is equipped with a soak room (to prepare the test vehicle to stabilized ambient temperature) and an emissions chassis dynamometer within a climatic chamber which can adjust the labs ambient temperature to replicate hotter climates. Data sampling equipment as well as a control room are all within the proximity of the lab.  

Technicians operating the NETC have received training and certification from the centre’s technology partner Daihatsu Motor Co. There is also a plan to include motorcycles and commercial vehicles in the near future.

Emissions tests are a requirement for vehicles to comply with JPJ’s (Road Transport Department) Vehicle Type Approval and EEV (Energy Efficient Vehicle) certification.  With the establishment of the NETC, MAI foresees a significant reduction in testing and certification cost plus faster test cycle times for OEMs/vehicle manufacturers, versus the current practice of having it done overseas.

In conjunction with the NETC launch was the introduction of the Voluntary EEV Labelling scheme. The label, to be placed on EEV certified vehicles is also planned to contain added information such as ASEAN NCAP safety rating. In 2017, 52% of new models introduced are certified as EEV, surpassing MAI's internal target of 50%. 

The 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, as according to the Paris Agreement.

Alongside the test centre launch and labelling introduction, MAI signed two Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) – one with Department on Environment (DOE) and one with Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM).

The MOU with DOE aims to enhance collaboration in furthering initiatives towards environmental preservation. Both parties aim to develop a pool of experts in environmental conservation, strengthen research and technical support for pollution source data collection, policies, and technology roadmaps for the automotive industry.

The MOU with UKM is to increase government-academic cooperation with the Faculty of Economics and Management, and to engage the faculty as a university-industrial partner for information exchange in fields related to teaching, student development, innovation and commercialization.