Taipei, March 22, 2009 (CENS)-With help from the Automotive Research & Testing Center (ARTC), the EV Advanced Propulsion System R&D Alliance, first such tie-up in Taiwan, was established by the center and some private manufacturers.

ARTC claimed that the alliance is scheduled to pour NT$500 million (US$15.7 million at US$1: NT$31.9) into related R&D projects, which are expected to generate total production value of NT$3 billion (US$94 million) in three years.

Domestic members in the alliance include Fukuta Elec. & Mach. Co., Ltd. (which will be responsible for development of EV motors), Rich Electric Co., Ltd. (propulsion control system), Kuo Yuan Enterprise Co., Ltd. (EV transmission system). ARTC will help provide system control and intelligent-vehicle integration and certification helps.

The EV R&D alliance aims to set up an internationalized EV propulsion-system company within three years so as to tap into the global assembled-EV market by exporting system modules or ting up with international EV makers in joint technology development.

The agreement signing ceremony was witnessed by a ranking official of the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA). ARTC president Joe Huang signed the alliance agreement with responsible men of the mentioned three companies. After the ceremony, a intelligent urban EV, the i-EV, was announced and opened for media test drives.

Industry sources said that many EV models would be continuously pushed by automakers in Japan and some European nations in 2011. In 2015, according to some market research firms` forecasts, the global shipments of EVs, including battery electric vehicles (BEVs), hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and plug-in hybrid EVs (PHEVs), would total four million in the year. Mitsubishi Motors of Japan, an automaker that has been aggressively developing BEV products, even predicted that in 2020 EVs would account for 20% of the overall car sales.

Huang pointed out that domestic Yulon Group has been actively developing BEV models, which are expected to be adopted for demonstrations this year. In China, he added, with official support and policies, over 10 major automakers have tied up to solve alternative-energy vehicular technology issues.

J.F. Chang, president of Fukuta, the motor supplier to sport BEV maker Tesla of the United States, pointed out that the propulsion system of a Tesla BEV model costs about US$15,000, but the alliance in Taiwan aims to build a counterpart for less than US$7,000.

(by Quincy Liang)