Emission tests save fuel: Experts say

Emission tests save fuel: Experts say

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Experts are calling on the government to make roadworthy tests
compulsory for vehicles nationwide, arguing that a poorly
maintained car not only emits smoky emission but also consumes
more fuel than one that undergoes regular checks.

Clean Air Partnership (MEB) secretary-general Ahmad Syafruddin
said on Thursday that poorly maintained cars produced excessive
emission due to an excessive use of fuel.

"Lowering vehicular emission can reduce energy consumption by
cars by up to 20 percent. Therefore, the government should not
only focus on reducing electricity use," Ahmad said.

The government has asked the public to save electricity in
order to cut fuel consumption, which has steadily increased in
the past few years.

Rising fuel consumption means the fuel subsidy will cost the
government more.

Vehicles consume around 55 percent of the country's yearly
fuel quota.

The government set the country's fuel quota at some 59 million
kiloliters for 2005, down from around 62 million kiloliters in
2004.

Ahmad said that motorists often took shortcuts to boost the
power of their vehicles, including opening up engine valves to
allow more fuel into the engine, instead of conducting regular
maintenance checks and subsequently having their cars serviced.

Emission checks are required on public and freight vehicles
only. The checks are part of requirements to get roadworthy
certificates from the City Transportation Agency.

However, in practice many vehicle owners often obtain
roadworthy certificates without having emission tests done by
tipping officers in the agency.

Auto 2000 workshop service manager Bobby RS explained that
regular maintenance checks was aimed at balancing the mix between
fuels and oxygen during the combustion process inside a vehicle's
engine.

He said that a balanced mix between fuel and oxygen during the
combustion process gave a vehicle optimal power. Vehicles that
were not well-maintained would not have the right mix of fuels
and oxygen, he added.

"With an unbalanced mix of the two materials, vehicles will
not have optimal power. And to gain more power, vehicle owners
often boost the flow of fuel to the engine," Bobby said.

According to Ahmad, Law No. 14/1992 on land transportation and
its implementing regulations No. 43 and No. 44/1993 require all
vehicles to produce clean emission, but the regulations do not
assign any institution to carry out emission checks.

He suggested that the government issue a regulation requiring
all vehicles to have emission checks.

Ahmad also called on the government to introduce measures to
ensure cleaner emission, such as by improving public
transportation and intensifying studies on alternative energy
like bio-diesel and ethanol.

"Improving public transportation would reduce the number of
vehicles on city streets," he said.

He said the city administration should immediately encourage
motorists to use compressed natural gas (CNG) in their vehicles
instead of gasoline.

"There is no reason to delay to expansion of the use of CNG
for public transportation because we have huge reserves of
natural gas," he added.