TAIFE 2011 Highlights Electric Vehicle Development in Taiwan

To promote Taiwan's intelligent electric vehicle (EV) industry and link local companies with global experts and buyers, the Taiwan Automotive Research Consortium (TARC) held the annual Taiwan Automotive International Forum & Exhibition (TAIFE) on April 14 and 15.

TARC has four founding members: the Mechanical and System Research Laboratories (MSL) of the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), the Automotive Research and Testing Center (ARTC), the Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST), and the Metal Industries Research and Development Center (MIRDC). About 120 private suppliers and manufacturers also belong.

The forum and exhibition was held simultaneously with four major international transportation vehicle-related events: the Taipei Taipei International Auto Parts & Accessories Show (Taipei AMPA), Taipei International Automobile Electronics Show (AutoTronics Taipei), Taiwan International Electric Vehicle Show (EV Taiwan), and Taiwan International Motorcycle Industry Show (Motorcycle Taiwan). The former two were held on April 12-15 at Taipei's Nangang Exhibition Hall, and the latter two on April 14-17 at the Taipei World Trade Center (TWTC) Exhibition Hall 1.

TARC invited key representatives from the French government, Ford Motors, and Infineon Technologies, as well as experts from the Taiwan Transportation Vehicle Manufacturers' Association (TTVMA), Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers' Association (TEEMA), Taiwan Battery Association (TBA), and major auto-parts manufacturers to discuss global trends in the EV industry.

Almost all the industry experts and manufacturers participating in the forum felt that the development of intelligent EVs has become a global trend from which Taiwanese players should not be absent, because the island is crowded with a large group of world-leading companies boasting strong information and communications technology (ICT) R&D and manufacturing capability, software development ability, and key-parts development and production capability.

Vice Economics Minister Jung-Chiou Hwang pointed out that his ministry has been aggressively promoting intelligent EV development strategies and action plans by choosing different locations on the island for setting up demonstration-operation sites and recharging infrastructures, providing or upgrading incentives and subsidies for EV buyers, establishing battery-swapping points, and mapping out recharging standards so as to create a more favorable environment for developing EV-related industries in Taiwan.

At the same time, Hwang continued, Taiwan's EV industry has successfully tied up with the local ICT and auto-parts industries to jointly manage know-how and technology for EV development, as well as to handle high-level R&D and manufacturing capabilities for key EV parts. This, he stressed, is expected to make the island a vital part of the global EV supply chain.

C. N. Lin, deputy director general of the Department of Industrial Technology (DoIT) under the Ministry of Economic Affairs, said that his ministry has been supporting the formation of an EV industrial cluster by related research institutions and the private sector, and that it has mediated the formation of several key R&D alliances for EV charging systems, electric propulsion systems, EV chassis, STOBA (Self Terminated Oligomers with hyper-Branched Architecture) batteries, telematics, and vehicle safety/warning system

James Wang, secretary general of TARC and deputy director general of the Mechanical & System Research Laboratories (MSL) of ITRI, pointed out that the this year's forum was attended by many heavy-weight representatives from the U.S., France, and China, ranking officials of global Tier-1 parts suppliers such as Magna, Eaton, and Better Place, and managers from local EV-related companies such as Delta Electronics, Whetron Electronics Co., Ken Sean Factory Co., and the Teco Group, who exchanged the latest information on intelligent EV sub-systems and key parts. There were also many presentations on topics about EV industry development in North America, Europe, and Taiwan.

The forum, according to Wang, helped the participants get more information about EV development worldwide as well as learn more about specific developmental conditions in different countries and regions.

C.C. Lee, representative of TTVMA and vice president of the Yulon Motor Co., a major domestic manufacturer of internal combustion engine cars and EVs, pointed out that to shape Taiwan into a low-carbon island and develop EV-related industries are the major goals of the local automotive industry. Currently, the top priority for achieving these goals is to integrate the resources of the government and private sectors for the joint development of key EV-related technologies as well as the building of a better EV environment and exploration of the international market.

Cooperation with international organizations such as the UL and the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) in the joint development of industry standards for intelligent EVs, Lee added, is another effective way for Taiwan's EV industry to tap into the international market.

As part of TAIFE 2011, TARC showcased a total of 29 EV-related R&D achievements in the TARC Pavilion at EV Taiwan 2011/Motorcycle Taiwan 2011.