TARC Pavilion at Auto Parts Show Reveals Local Auto Industry Achievements
2010/08/23 | By Quincy LiangDifferent parties will have varying opinions on why Taiwan is supporting the development of automotive-electronics and electric vehicle (EV) businesses. One reason may be the rising eco-consciousness worldwide and the realization that computerized operation of cars achieves improved energy efficiencies, as well as upgraded safety, with EVs being the most popular technological answer to a greener environment. With Taiwan having developed considerable R&D and manufacturing capacity of electronics, information and communication technology (ICT), semiconductor, and thin film transistor-liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) products, the local authorities and private operators are promoting, breeding such capabilities to supply demand from the booming global automotive-electronics and EV segments.
Official programs to promote Taiwan's automotive-electronics and EV sectors may also be fortuitously timed with the recent rapid growth of China's car market, which eclipsed the U.S. to become the world's biggest new car market in early 2009. The incredible part is that some carmakers there have actually developed models on their own, without outside partnerships. Some of these carmakers in China are also trying to upgrade technologies via M&As, as Geely's takeover of Volvo, while others look for, especially from Taiwan, more advanced systems, key automotive technologies and product features to gain bigger market shares as well as stronger competitiveness against global rivals.
Taiwan's EV sector also looks set for a promising future, regardless of pure electric or hybrids. Reports are that the global EV market, despite just emerging, is seeing ample interest from numerous newcomers and established carmakers. A new vehicular territory also spells new hope for not just global carmakers but Taiwanese ones, who have not had much success in building independently significant internal combustion engine cars. The EV field certainly, if nothing else, is creating ample business, R&D and job opportunities, for each EV maker is treading water sort to speak as new technologies are tried and improved upon. Such impetus drives the Taiwan government to invest considerably to continue to develop EVs and support sectors.
TARC Pavilion
The 2010 Taipei International Auto Parts & Accessories Show (Taipei AMPA) and the Taipei International Automobile Electronics Show (AutoTronics Taipei), held 12~15 this April at the Taipei World Trade Center (TWTC) Nangang Exhibition Hall, was the most recent display of achievements resulting from official support of automotive sectors. The Taiwan Automotive Research Consortium (TARC) Pavilion was a special zone detailing officially targeted vehicular products and technologies for future development.
The TARC theme was "Green EV & Smart Driving," which showed vehicular innovations developed in Taiwan.
TARC was established by the Department of Industrial Technology (DoIT) of the Ministry of Economic Affairs in 2005. The organization helps local industry to tap technical transfer by integrating R&D resources in high-level research institutes in Taiwan, including Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), Automotive Research & Testing Center (ARTC), Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST) and Metal Industries Research & Development Centre (MIRDC) etc.
TARC has helped to improve core technologies and competitiveness of the vehicular sector in Taiwan. The TARC pavilion had two subjects-"Green Energy" and "Intelligent," under which 19 items were displayed that embody significant developments and future directions.
Intelligent Car
The "Intelligent" section displayed a futuristic "intelligent car" as well as R&D achievements of TARC members.
Making cars smarter, user-friendly and safer, active and passive safety systems have been developed by integrating radar, charge coupling device (CCD) image sensor, infra-red sensing technologies. Combining such technologies enable drivers to better respond to changing road conditions, which minimize accidents.
Night-vision System
Showing cross-industry application, the CSIST, with well-known military tech know-how, displayed its night-vision system and a pedestrian detection system. The active infrared lighting system allows driving permanently without visible lights, whereby dangerous situations, or likely heat-emitting bodies, are identified in advance on dashboard displays or thin film transistor-liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) screens, with the effective detection distance being 160 meters.
The Electric Parking Brake System (EPB), developed by ARTC, works without conventional brake pedal or pulling a handbrake, instead is finger-activated by a dashboard switch. The system consists of the control unit and an electric motor which actuate the combined caliper brake or duo-servo brake via cable. The EPB works intelligently to automatically activate upon ignition and to release the brake upon drive, with appropriate force applied each time.
Another R&D achievement by ARTC is the driver surveillance system (DSS) that utilizes image-tracking technology to monitor driver head movements, as well as being integrated with a microprocessor to analyze signals as driver status, breath alcohol concentration (BAC), and gear selection etc. Such monitoring system improves safety by evaluating conditions that are potential safety hazards.
The Advanced Parking Guidance System (APGS) by ARTC helps drivers find suitable parking spaces by detecting obstacles with ultrasonic sensing and image recognition technologies, as well as steer vehicles automatically to parking spaces by path tracking control with an EPS.
ITRI's all-around image surveillance and detection system has four cameras mounted on four sides of vehicles, whereby surrounding bird's-eye images as well as views of nearby obstacles are captured for improved safety, convenience and locational awareness in urban driving.
Green Energy
The "Green Energy" section at the TARC Pavilion showed key EV components and systems.
Notable items included the die cast copper rotor, motor cooling jacket, bike pancake motor etc., all of which help to improve efficiency of traction motors via lightweight materials, hence meeting the key criteria of EVs to save energy and reduce carbon emission.
Already reportedly but no less significant is the STOBA technology developed by the Material and Chemical Research Laboratories (MCL) under ITRI, which is a nano-grade high-molecular material integrated into lithium batteries to automatically form a protective film. When a lithium battery over-heats, is impacted or pierced, the STOBA immediately stops electro-chemical reactions hence triggered to prevent short-circuiting that generates excessive heat, consequent fire hazards to achieve significant safety upgrade. So STOBA-integrated lithium batteries are much safer for 3C (computer, communication, and consumer electronics) or electrical vehicles.
Achieving substantial weight and thickness reductions, ITRI developed a super-slim rim motor that can be used on ordinary and folding electric bicycles. Lighter by 50% and 30% thinner, ITRI says that the newly developed rim motor is highly regarded by many bicycle makers in Taiwan.
ITRI staff says that the new rim motor can be easily installed on most bikes, turning them into e-bicycles to help local e-bike makers shorten product development, as well as offer consumers more options. The rim motor adopts the innovative axial flux motor technique, achieving a thickness of only one inch and weight of only two kilograms, as well as superior torque-per-unit-weight: up to two- to three times the torque of conventional motors of equal weight.
ITRI also showcased an EV charger prototype.
