The Kia Slovakia manufacturing plant now operates the first accredited vehicle emissions laboratory in Slovakia. The accredited facility, equipped with the latest technologies, is operated directly by the car manufacturer’s qualified employees. The results of vehicle emissions tests conducted in the laboratory are fully accepted worldwide by third parties.
The car manufacturer in Teplička nad Váhom has operated an emissions laboratory with the necessary equipment since the start of production in Slovakia. The accreditation process was initiated approximately one year ago. As of May, the laboratory has been fully accredited in terms of equipment and procedures for laboratory exhaust emissions testing under WLTP conditions.
“The main reasons for accrediting the laboratory were to achieve the highest quality certification for a testing laboratory in Europe and to meet the increasingly stringent emissions requirements. Laboratory accreditation guarantees the credibility of test results produced by our equipment. A key advantage for Kia Slovakia is the ability to conduct tests directly at our plant, with results accepted by homologation authorities even without their physical presence,” explained Tomáš Potoček, Spokesperson for Kia Slovakia.
To obtain accreditation, it was necessary to supplement and adjust quality processes, including calibrating equipment in accordance with ISO 17025 by accredited companies, creating a quality manual, and ensuring the availability of resources and instruments required for the proper execution of tests in line with the standard.
In the future, the car manufacturer plans to extend the laboratory’s accreditation to include Real Driving Emissions (RDE) tests and, following the necessary modifications, also testing under the upcoming EURO 7 emissions standard.
