TAITRA, the foreign trade promotion council in Taiwan, held the Taiwan Excellence Scooter Industry Showcase as a live-stream event on YouTube on Nov. 5. This event featured four innovative scooter and motor parts companies including AEON Motor Company, PGO, G-PRO and AM Chain, showcasing their latest products, technologies and innovations with the goal of attracting new business opportunities in the global scooter supply chain.
Taiwan is one of the biggest scooter manicuring countries in the world. The scooter industry output value reached $3.5 billion in 2019. Over 1 million scooters are produced every year, and 320,000 gasoline scooters and parts were exported to overseas markets such as Japan, Italy and Spain. Due to ECO policy changes and recent trends in European and Asian countries, electric scooters will soon become mainstream.
Executive Vice President of TAITRA, Simon Wang, gave opening remarks, beginning with a COVID-19 update, discussing how Taiwan is actively managing the virus through strict prevention measures.
Following, he noted that Taiwan is headquarters of some of the world’s most prestigious scooter companies.
“With a small population of 23.5 million, Taiwan’s domestic demand for motorcycles and it’s backbone industry makes Taiwan the leader of the world’s top 10 markets,” Mr. Wang said.
Mr. Wang next introduced the four companies presenting in the live stream, all of whom are recipients of the Taiwan Excellence Awards. The Taiwan Excellence Awards were established by the Ministry of Economic Affairs in 1993. Every year, eligible candidates must meet rigorous criteria in four major areas: R&D, design, quality and marketing, to identify outstanding products that offer “innovative value,” while satisfying the key criteria of being “made in Taiwan.”
Aeon Motor Co. Ltd.
Aeon Motive Sales Manager Finn Lin introduced Aeon’s latest Ai-1 Sport ABS and the Ai-3 Comfort+/Ai-3 Comfort smart electric scooters and the Crossland 600 4×4 ATV.
“Aeon Motor provides you with two-wheel, three-wheel and four-wheel electric and gasoline mobility solutions,” Mr. Lin said. “We have an excellent R&D and testing team and resources to design and develop our vehicles. We can provide full vehicle service to all of our customers. All products are 100% made in Taiwan.”
The Ai-1 Sport ABS is full of high-tech elements both in the scooter’s appearance and design. It is built with a 7.6 kW electric motor, made by Gogoro. The vehicle has a reverse function to help riders slowly reverse from a parking space.
The top speed of the Ai-1 Sport ABS can reach 92 KPH or 57 MPH.
“We believe that if you want to go fast, you need to be able to stop safely,” Mr. Lin said. “The Ai-1 Sport ABS is equipped with Bosch ABS.”
The second vehicle Aeon introduced was the Ai-3 Comfort+/Ai-3 Comfort.
“The Ai-3 is the sister to Ai-1,” Mr. Lin explained. “It is designed for female riders and is equipped with a 6.4 kW motor designed by Gogoro and CBS brakes.”
Both scooters include the CROERA Smart Dashboard, which has a revolutionary turn-by-turn navigation system and specialized vehicle information integration system that enables an integrated user experience. It features rider-enabled hotkeys for navigation and when the battery is low and auto navigation that can automatically direct the route to the nearest battery-swapping station.
“With the CROERA, you can start your vehicle by speaking into your Apple Watch, just like in the movies,” Mr. Lin said. “Our goal is to take this technology and apply it to all vehicles, not just electric vehicles.”
Aeon also showcased the Crossland 600 4×4 ATV, which features a 565-cc single cylinder, 4-stroke, 4-valve, liquid-cooled engine. The ATV has options to drive in 2WD or 4WD at the push of a button.
“The suspension uses double a-arm in the front and IRS with double a-arm in the rear, which makes this vehicle excellent in performance for off-road use,” Mr. Lin explained. “Also included is a 500-lb. winch, along with front and rear carriers, which is perfect for riding or camping.”
G-PRO
G-Pro Business Development Manager Jose Mejia presented the company’s patented Two-Piece Forged Wheel and Lightweight Sprockets. G-PRO (Giant Protech Co., Ltd.) originated by producing CNC manufactured high precision motorcycle and auto parts for Japanese and German brands and has evolved to meet the needs of the industry.
“All of our products are carefully designed to meet the needs of the rider and improve their experience. We focus on quality, safety, functionality and appearance,” Mr. Mejia said. “Our wheels are the result of intense R&D to produce a new concept not seen in the scooter industry before. Using all of the advantages of the 3D modeling simulator, our engineers have achieved a lightweight, very strong wheel, milled from the highest quality aerospace grade 6061 aluminum.”
Two-piece wheel rims can be divided into “wheel rim” and “hub,” which are securely connected using titanium bolts. This two-piece design improves handling performance, increasing dynamics, cornering response and acceleration while decreasing the overall stopping distance.
The technology is a hit for customers along with the range of colors available to customize the scooter’s appearance.
Also introduced was G-Pro’s patented Lightweight Sprocket, which is ultra-lightweight but extremely strong in construction, thanks to the Swiss aluminum 7075-T6. These sprockets are designed to run smoother because of its patented self-cleaning groove pattern, featuring an exclusive coating that reduces the friction with the chain, easily removing the excess of dust and debris collected on the road.
“This coating also helps keep it silent, even at high revolutions, drastically improving the lifespan,” Mr. Mejia said. “This is why our sprockets are gaining popularity among professional riders who are always in the top of their competitive categories.”
AM Chain
A Man Power Transmission Co., Ltd. Sales Manager, Mr. Leon Hsiao, introduced AM Chain’s High-Density Plasma Ceramic Coating Technology (HDPCCT) and Environmentally-friendly Sealed Chains during the live stream presentation.
“Not many people recognize the importance of the roller chain. It has been a fundamental component for power transmission in the process of industrial evolution,” Mr. Hsiao said. “It is used in numerous power transmission applications such as motorcycle chains, agricultural equipment, escalator chains, conveyor chains, forklift chains and even gym equipment. AM Chain offers a complete range of standard and customized chains for your various power transmission needs.”
The HDPCCT has 50% better anti-rust resistance than electroplating chains and 200% better anti-scratch resistance and wear resistance than electroplating chains. Additionally, the color can be adjusted to meet customer’s needs for various applications.
“Unlike the traditional coating that can severely damage the environment if not properly managed, our new technology has an absolute zero pollution coating process. It is green, beautiful, high quality and extremely durable,” Hsiao said.
Also introduced was the AM Environmentally Friendly Sealed Chain. The design on the Sealed Chain uses an outer plate convex flange as the first stop and is convex on bushing as second stop to maintain lubrication inside and keep dust from going in.
The comprehensive design has been tested to effectively prevent dust from going in as well as reduce the wear of the belt, successfully increasing the life of the product. Noise is reduced by 3-4% as compared to other chain brands. The coating provides excellent protection against rust, allowing easier and less frequent chain maintenance.
“We are encouraging creativity within our R&D department to provide innovative motorcycle chains to surprise the market. We are aiming to provide the best buy to our clients,” Hsiao said.
PGO
PGO Sales Manager, Paul Chen, revealed the company’s latest model, TIGRA 200.
PGO is the first company to use the DOHC water-cooled engine in small scooters in Taiwan. “The engine features many motorcycle elements like double overhead camshafts, balance shaft, oil jet cooling, ceramic coating, flat bearings, MIT modular sensor and forged pistons,” Mr. Chen explained. “The TIGRA 200 uses multi-link suspension, Bosch ABS and an enhanced, rigidity frame.”
The TIGRA 200 is the first in Taiwan to introduce the Idle Stop System, which automatically switches the engine off at traffic lights and other brief stops. A polar bear image appears on the scooter’s interface, thanking the rider for being ecofriendly.
Another highlight of the scooter is the integrated MMI (Man-Machine Interface) LCD speedometer, which shows time, mileage, fuel level, RPM and ECU information. Riders can utilize all of these scooter functions to enjoy the fun of riding.
Other models showcased from the PGO brand were the classic J-Bubu ABS (the most popular model in Taiwan), the Alpha Max 125, the Bon-125 and the TIGRA 150.
To view a replay of the Taiwan Excellence Scooter Industry Showcase live-stream, go to: https://youtu.be/GTF_9ydhSC8.
