Taiwan Industry Transforms Successfully to E-bikes as Export to EU Doubled

​BRUSSELS, Belgium - The transformation of the Taiwanese industry towards electric bicycles is now clearly starting to pay off. This is evidenced by Eurostat figures for the first half of 2019. They show that the 28 EU-member states started to import much more e-bikes from Taiwan. That import even doubled to a now very significant number.

What must have contributed to the now big numbers of e-bikes that Taiwan currently exports to the European Union, was the in March 2018 held Taipei Cycle Forum. This Conference, targeting the top of the Taiwan industry, was organized by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) and Bike Europe. The reason for holding this Conference was the fact that regular bicycle production as well as export in Taiwan dropped hard during the last years. Taipei Cycle Forum presented the insights and the tools for the Taiwan industry to transform and in particular towards producing and the export of e-bikes. That Taiwan managed to do that successfully is now not only expressed by that latest Eurostat import figures, but also by what Taiwan companies presented at last week’s Eurobike.

Over 100 percent growth
Taiwan’s e-bike export to the European Union’s member states doubled in the first half of this year. To be precise it grew by 100.03 percent. In absolute numbers Taiwan exported close to 200,000 e-bikes to Europe; to be precise it stood at 196,602. In the first half of last year that number was 98,283.

Massive change
Of course, this 100 percent growth is mainly triggered by the anti-dumping duties the European Union levies on the import of electric bicycles from China since mid-January 2019. This more or less eliminated China as production location for electric bicycles. The Eurostat figures for the first six months of 2019 clearly express this massive change. During this period close to only 55,000 e-bikes were imported into the EU from China. That number stood in the first half of 2018 at close to 612,000 e-bikes. What this results to is that Chinese companies saw their export to the EU drop by close to 560,000 units!

Taiwan’s transformation 
As said, Taiwan (partly) took over the role of China as e-bike production location. That Taiwan companies are eager to engage in that function was underlined at last week’s Eurobike show. Various renowned component makers showed here how they are transforming into e-bike parts makers. This was evidenced by companies like NECO, FSA, HL Corp and SMP. NECO presented two mid-motors as well as other transmission parts like 13-speed cassettes and derailleurs. FSA (Tien Hsin Industries) launched its e-bike drive system which for now is a rear hub motor. HL Corp has invested in Motinova; a company that is producing mid-motors in Vietnam. SMP, a company that belongs to Apple supplier Simplo Group, presented its Generation 2 e-bike batteries. These are just a few examples of Taiwanese companies that now focus strongly on e-bikes. But it can actually be said that the entire Taiwan supply industry is now focusing on this new trend that is conquering the world.

Reference: ​Bike Europe