Jerry Wang, the 29th Chairman of the SAE Taipei Section and Chairman of ARTC, led the 2023 SAE World Congress Taiwan Delegation to the US to explore trends in the automotive industry.

To drive technological development in the vehicle industry and foster collaboration between industry, academia, and research institutions on vehicle development, the SAE Taipei Section of Taiwan dispatched a delegation led by Jerry Wang, who serves as both the 29th Chairman of the SAE Taipei Section and Chairman of Automotive Research & Testing Center (ARTC), to the US in April. Besides meeting with the SAE headquarters, the delegation also visited key automotive manufacturers, suppliers, as well as research and testing institutes. In addition, the delegation partnered with the Michigan Chinese Academic and Professional Association (MCAPA) to host the 2023 North America Automotive Technology Conference on April 29th. The seminar featured experts from Taiwan and the US who shared insights on the latest trends in smart EVwhile providing a platform for Taiwanese and US companies to expand cooperation and business opportunities.

One of the main objectives of the visit was to meet with Todd Zarfos, President of SAE, who has served in the aviation industry for more than 35 years and was a former Vice President of Engineering at Boeing. Zarfos mentioned he visited Taiwan years ago for an aviation project and the trip left a deep impression on him such as the hot summer weather and refreshing oolong tea. He commended the SAE Taipei Section on its achievements and efforts in promoting business. He also accepted Chairman Jerry Wang’s invitation to visit Taiwan later this year to share his extensive work experience with the industry and students in Taiwan.

SAE President Todd Zarfos (right) gave his recognition of the achievements made by the SAE Taipei Section and expressed his anticipation for visiting Taiwan this year.

During the trip, the delegation visited the US headquarters of Optimal Group, which established Optimal Intelligent Mobility (OPTIMAL-IM) jointly with ARTC. The delegation was greeted in person by Chairman Song L.Young, who arranged a road ride on an electric bus. The low chassis and spacious, comfortable interior of the vehicle provided a smooth and stable ride even at higher speeds. Chairman Song L.Young said Optimal began developing electric shuttle buses in 2016 in response to the arrival of the electric vehicle era, with the vision to become the Tesla of electric buses.

By integrating the capabilities of Taiwanese manufacturers, OPTIMAL-IM aims to become a Tier 1 ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) supplier. In the next phase, it will work closely with ARTC on three technologies, including autonomous convoys, virtual tracks, and dual-axis steering, to better compete in the North American market by equipping smart electric buses with intelligent driving systems. At present, there is a need for 10,000 school buses, 17,000 shuttle buses, and about 150,000 commercial vehicles like engineering and logistics vehicles in the US medium-sized bus market, which is valued at more than $20 billion. This presents a good opportunity for Taiwanese players to demonstrate their expertise in system integration and intelligent systems in the international market.

The delegation visited Optimal Group for a test ride on their low-floor smart electric mini-bus and to discuss future plans for the startup jointly established by Taiwan and the US.

The delegation also visited major automotive research and testing organizations including General Motors' test site in Detroit, the University of Michigan's autonomous vehicle testing site (MCity), the American Center for Mobility (ACM), and the Center for Automotive Research (CAR).  They had in-depth discussions on various issues such as current policies and testing and verification technology in the North American electric vehicle industry.

Chairman Jerry Wang expressed his gratitude towards the MCAPA and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Chicago for their assistance in organizing the SAE Taipei Section's first-ever group visit to the US after the pandemic. Besides exchanging insights with the US automotive industry through the technical seminar, the SAE Taipei Section also visited many US companies and academic research institutions to understand their future trends and development plans for smart EV. The visit will offer valuable lessons for Taiwanese automotive industry and help them identify business opportunities in the US market. Moving forward, the SAE Taipei Section will continue to arrange overseas visits and invite foreign companies and institutions to Taiwan to facilitate the exchange of ideas and cooperation with global industries. Through these efforts, the Taiwanese smart EVindustry will be able to showcase its competitive advantages in terms of supply chain and system integration and ultimately become a reliable and key global partner.