When I was asked if I wanted to go to Taiwan to visit the Taipeh Cycle Show and then take part in an experts study trip to China. It didn’t take long to say:  „Oh YEAH!!!, I’m going“. I always wanted to see what the world and mobility looks like in China, where millions of LEV (Light electric vehicles) are already in use. A special joy is to be able to hold a brief presentation about the perspective of cargo bikes and their potential in Europe in the next years at a conference at the end of this week. Cargo bikes are my favorite topic these days!

Role of the Trip

The study trip visits a series of key Chinese e-bike and light electric vehicle production sites. The tour is organized by ExtraEnergy from Germany and the Chinese Bicycle Association (CBA). It is set in the framework of one of the famous „5-year plans“ by the Chinese government – running from 2014-2019. Its goal is to increase the quality of LEV export products and develop the domestic market further. Namely goals are a third of the products shall be Li-Ion powered by 2019, the average price of export bikes shall rise to 1000$ and the high end market in Chinas e-bikes in China is planned to get a kick start. See this „Bike Europe“ article for more details).

What we will see

Now I am a bit late with the article; we have already visited Tianneng Battery company, Giant Bicycles, Bafang Motors, Yadea (produces scooters and ebikes) and Phylion Batteries. All those are young companies, never older than 1990, growing at the speed of light (normally around 15-30% per year) and producing quantities that make most German and European companies of the same branch look like cute little-high-tech dwarfs! Click on the links above to find pictures (at least) and some text (to be filled up these days)

Tianjin from the 19th floor

Today we arrived in the luxury Hyatt Hotel in Tianjin, I have never been to such a fancy hotel – floor 19 -and therefore allow myself to post picutres of the delicious and flabbergasting hotel and dinner instead of evermore ebikes…!

[portfolio_slideshow]

In the next days we have a full schedule to go still, so in the end we will have seen these places: Electric Motor producers: Bafang; Bike Producers: Giant, Flying pigeon, Yadea, Golden Wheel Bicycle Company, Aima electric bike company; Frame producers: Tianjin Alloy Frame company; Display Producers: King Meter.

The group

Travelling with me (Wasilis von Rauch) is a fabulous group of e-experts that without going anywhere would be worth chatting with for several days: Hannes Neupert, Jean Chen, Reno Heßlich, Carolin Springer (all ExtraEnergy), Marco Klimmt (Head of Brose e-bike project), Rüdiger Nierescher (EnergyTube Holding), Susanne Brüsch (Pedelec Adventures), Sascha Nachtnebel (Greenfinder, N8 Business Development), Tilmann Künzel (Cyberwan Ingenieurbüro/ETTRAK), Peter Albert Prebus (Electric Bike Report), Donatas Nekrasius, Justinas Cerniauskus, Tora Harris, ShiGuang Yu (technology development of CBA).

The e-Bike Tour in China and Taiwan

• Impressions from the Taipeh Cycle Show
• Visit at Tiannang Battery Production
• Report about the trip on Electric Bike Report

More e-Rad Hafen

• e-Rad Hafen cargo bike report from Eurobike 2014 (in english)
• General info on e-Rad Hafen trip to Taiwan and China, 3/2015 (in German)