SURAKARTA. The Esemka car built by vocational high schools (SMKs) in Surakarta, Central Java, will undergo emission tests in Serpong, South Tangerang in Banten, on Monday as part of its certification process.

The tests will be carried out at Serpong’s Thermodynamics, Motor and Propulsion Center and the results will determine whether the car can be mass-produced or not.

An Esemka SUV which serves as Surakarta Mayor Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s official car will depart the city on Friday for Serpong on Tuesday. Vice Mayor FX Hadi Rudyatmo will drive the car himself.

“We will drive directly to Jakarta and not be stopping at various cities as earlier planned,” Joko told reporters on Wednesday.

“However, we will stop at various cities on the way home. Hopefully we will have bagged the emission certificate by then.”

Pekalongan, Salatiga, Semarang and Tegal in Central Java and Bandung and Cirebon in West Java have reportedly requested the car to make stop-overs.

Rudy said he would stop every 100 kilometers to check the car’s condition and rest.

Meanwhile, Sukiyat, the owner of Kiat Motor which assisted the students in assembling the first two prototypes, said he would not go along or assign a technician for the journey to Serpong.

“The car is ready for long-distance travel therefore there is no need to have a technician for the trip,” he said. (Kusumasari Ayuningtyas/ The Jakarta Post)

Editor: Edy Can