The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) announces the opening of the vehicle research and testing laboratory, the first in the country, which can assess the viability of different alternative fuels as well as fuel-saving and emission control devices which continue to flood the local market in view of the ever escalating oil prices.  The completion of the project led by DOST’s Philippine Council for Industry and Energy Research and Development (PCIERD) directly responds to the Biofuels Law in providing infrastructure support for assessment, validation and performance testing of different biofuels from different feedstocks, develop test protocols, standards and regulations including the use of fuel saving and emission control devices.  The existence of the center also backs up the Clean Air Act and promotes compliance to transport regulations.

Exactly three years ago today, in August 2005, the DOST was instructed by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to intensify the country’s technology development on alternative fuels.  Also in the same year, the National Anti-Poverty Commission Cabinet Group and the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) discussed strategic measures to address the oil crisis stressing the need to mobilize efforts to promote fuel-saving devices but ensure consumer welfare protection.

The laboratory addresses all the concerns of the President and gives a push to the Biofuels Law.   Equipped with a chassis dynamometer system (with emission analyzer) in a climate-controlled test cell, vehicle and engine performance tests can be conducted in accordance with internationally accepted standards. 

It will be able to provide information on the performance of products claiming to save fuels and reduce emissions and help the government to check on unscrupulous businessmen or distributors of fuel-saving devices who take advantage of uninformed consumers.  The government can now recommend, support and certify these devices for information to consumers on their effectiveness.

With the need to implement the Biofuels Law, the test results generated by the center can help in improving the production and formulation of alternative fuels particularly the locally-produced coco-methyl ester (CME), bio-ethanol, compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).

The laboratory’s chassis dynamometer will be able to test the performance of these alternative fuels in terms of their ability to produce power, torque, speed and consequently, fuel economy and emissions.  For biodiesel, for example, different formulations and blends at 5%, 10%, 25%, 50% up to 100% can be tested to determine the best blend.

The transport sector remains to be the highest energy-consuming sector in the Philippines.  In spite of the energy crises that continually plague the economy, vehicle population still continue to grow.  Consequently too, the transportation sector is the highest emitter of toxic substances like carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons (HC), nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur oxides (SOx) and particulate matter (PM).  In Metro Manila, for example, concentrations of PM10 routinely exceed acceptable levels and motor vehicles are found to contribute over 40% to the total PM10.  Further monitoring also indicates that both CO and NOx occasionally exceed standards.  Although at the moment the center is restricted to analyze emission PM and SOx, support is being solicited from the Department of Energy (DOE) and PNOC to fully equip the center.

The DOST continually works with the DOE  for the national program on alternative energy, of which the vehicle research and testing laboratory is one of the collaborative projects.  The UP-College of Engineering is a major player in the project offering its own testing facility to become now the vehicle research and testing laboratory that will serve its stakeholders and the public in general.  This new development allows the Philippines to be at par with its ASEAN neighbors in terms of automotive testing.  More importantly, on-going and future research and development efforts on alternative fuels and automotive devices will benefit from the center.