4:35 am, November 29, 2011
IT was all going so well. The flights had gone according to plan, my luggage and I had arrived safely together in Taipei and the hotel was lovely.
In fact the towels were so fluffy I wondered how I’d ever fit them in my case. (Old Frasier gag, sorry.)
But then, out of the blue first thing this morning, disaster. The kettle was on the blink. Reception kindly sent up a couple of guys with a replacement but they forgot the lead. So I had to wait for breakfast for today’s first shot of caffeine. Worse happens at sea I suppose.
Anyway, myself and my three press colleagues, from Germany, Japan and Canada, had a busy itinerary to look forward to. Our first stop was a luxurious hotel selected as the venue for the launch of two of the four automotive-related shows taking place in Taiwan next April.
Lt to rt: Willer Lee, Jeremy Horng of Taitra and Jessie Chan representing electrical manufacturers in Taiwan
One of the events in the spotlight was Tapei Ampa, the 28th Taipei International Auto Parts and Accessories Show, and the other was AutoTronics Tapei, the seventh Taipei Automobile Electronics Show.
The organisers say that ‘Without Taiwan, you don’t get car parts’ and the facts and figures produced at today’s event certainly backed that up for anyone in any doubt.
But what struck me today about Taiwan (and sorry if this sounds a bit naive to anyone more familiar with visiting the Far East than me) is the charm and grace with which everything is conducted here.
One of those to address the conference was Willer Lee, director of the Taiwan transportation vehicle manufacturers’ association. Naturally he was keen to stress the importance of the automotive industry to Taiwan and its people, and did so in impeccable English, but concluded his speech with the sentence: ‘Most of all, I wish everyone here good health and I hope you have all your dreams come true.’
Dave found himself surprised to be promoted to the editorship of Car Dealer. Just don't tell James Baggott
A sumptuous lunch followed and then our party headed for our next stop: the Lanyang Technology Company, heavily involved in EV technology, but having more to do with ‘light EVs’ such as golf carts and buggies for disabled people, rather than cars.
The firm might be small(ish) at the moment but president William Chang wasn’t afraid to show how ambitious he is. He wants his brand to become as well-known worldwide as Nike, and why not?
The appliance of science might not be my strong point but he managed to explain his work in an easily-understood fashion and explained his reasons for getting into EV technology after years in IT.
Quite simply, he watched the film An Inconvenient Truth a few years ago, and decided to play a part, even if it was just a minor one, in trying to tackle climate change.
Chang’s a realist though, and recognises there are issues around the generation of the electricity used for EVs in the first place. Water? Maybe. Wind, solar? Perhaps. Nuclear? Difficult, especially after the catastrophic events in the Far East earlier this year.
Tricky questions maybe, but that doesn’t mean we should stop looking for answers.
Dave Brown
