Taiwan Excellence hosts virtual smart transportation press conference and pavilion

Taiwan Excellence has provided international audiences with a first look at innovative smart transportation products during its Taiwan Excellence Smart Transportation Online Press Conference. Guann-Jyh Lee, Deputy Director General of the Bureau of Foreign Trade, MOEA, stated that the smart transportation technology industry is currently one of the key industries on which the Taiwanese government is focusing its policies. Over the next five years, the government will invest U.S.$200 million on smart transportation infrastructure.

Taiwan Excellence Smart Transportation press conference (from left to right: Ms. Jas Hsu from Hua-Jie Corp., Mr. Calvin Lu from Noodoe EV, Ms. Mei-Ming Chang from Bureau of Foreign Trade, Mr. Walter Yeh, President & CEO of TAITRA, Ms. Terry Chang from Acer ITS, Mr. Paul Lee from EverFocus, Mr. Mark Wu Executive Director of TAITRA)

The event focused on four winners of the prestigious Taiwan Excellence Award: Acer ITS, Ever Focus Electronics, Noodoe and Taiwan Hua-Jie. Representatives from each company presented Taiwan’s latest smart transportation technologies, including a Smart Parking Meter System, AI Network Video Recorder, EV Charging Station OS and Thin Type Quiet Switch. Exemplifying the best of Taiwan’s smart transportation industry, these products are driving trends that combine information communication, electronic components, and smart transportation technologies.

More than 298 buyers and 25 media from across the world tuned in, including renowned publications such as Intelligent Transport from the UK, Vision Mobility from Germany, Elektromobilnosc from Poland, The Sun Daily from Malaysia and Jidosha Shimbun from Japan.

Walter Yeh, President & CEO of the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), Taiwan’s foremost trade promotion organisation, stated that although the world is still facing the setbacks of COVID-19, Taiwan’s smart transportation solutions and products are globally recognised for their high quality, sophisticated technology and consistent performance.

Yeh also indicated that the global smart transportation market is accelerating at a breakneck speed and is expected to reach U.S.$149.2 billion by 2023, according to Markets and Markets research firm. For Taiwanese companies entering the smart transportation sector, the road ahead is paved with opportunities. In recent years, several innovative smart transportation applications and products from Taiwanese companies, including the ETC System, electric scooter battery exchange stations and electric vehicle charging stations, have been embraced by the international market.

During the virtual press conference, Taiwan’s smart transportation innovations were exemplified by these companies:

1. Noodoe – Noodoe EV OS

Mr. Walter Yeh, President & CEO of TAITRA hosts the Smart Transportation press conference

With the goal of empowering clients to enjoy the perfect charging experience, Noodoe EV OS serves as the “brain” for overseeing all electric car charging stations, automating vital operations. It provides automated equipment diagnosis and operational analysis to ensure the optimal operation of each charging station. Additionally, the management team can receive deep-level operation analysis of the entire charging station. 

This was viewed as particularly standout, given how the EV charging networks can actually generate revenue for their owner. The event speakers also highlighted that the number of new EVs being released by car manufacturers is not in line with the charging infrastructure currently in place across the world, and that this must be balanced in order to ensure the most sustainable and efficient green recovery. 

2. EverFocus – EverFocus Mobile DVR

Winner of the 2020 Taiwan Excellence Awards, the EverFocus Mobile DVR device applies internet-based surveillance technology for the transportation sector and comes with AI and high-speed processing capacity, and an elegant, streamlined heat-conducting design. Its sturdy frame is MIL-STD-810G certified, making it an ideal solution for the management of trains, railways and car fleets.

The AI and surveillance technology could be used in train stations to count passengers and alert operators to crowd density warnings.

3. Acer ITS Inc. – Smart Parking Meter System

Targeting the private vehicle parking requirements for roadside and off-street parking, this Acer ITS smart parking meter system integrates electronic receipts, vehicle detection, license plate recognition and parking applications to provide car owners, parking lot proprietors and local governments with smart, cloud-based and high-efficiency parking services. With installations in Taipei, Tainan and Kaohsiung Software Parks, it is the first roadside parking management solution in Taiwan that combines automatic vehicle detection, license plate recognition and a cloud management platform.

The system provides real time updates to users on available parking spaces and this is predicted to not only reduce traffic congestion, but to create greener cities in the process, 

4. Hua-Jie – 6C-Series Quiet Switch

Hua-Jie’s recent innovations in the development and manufacturing of thin-type switches led to its award-winning 6C-Series Quiet Switch, primarily used in silencing steering wheel buttons as part of the car industry chain. Two industry-leading car companies, ISUZU and HONDA, have finished their testing of the 6C-Series Quiet Switch and are ready for batched trial productions.

Key takings from the event

The event made it clear that Taiwan is to be one of the world’s leaders in smart transportation. When considering UK applications, particularly in light of plans for a “green recovery” from COVID-19, some of the aspects that could be used include:

• Paratransit solutions
• AV Vehicles
• EV charging
• Smart card technology.

2020 Taiwan Excellence Smart Transportation Online Press Conference livestream can be found here.

2020 Taiwan Excellence Smart Transportation Virtual Pavilion can be found here.