The Taipei International Cycle Show, held in early April this year, was an excellent opportunity for Taiwan's electric scooter makers to display their latest models to international buyers. Of the many manufacturers that took part, two in particular found the show to be an extremely worthwhile event, bringing them significant numbers of overseas orders for some of their newest products.

The new electric scooter models operate using battery power and are constructed entirely in Taiwan. Notably, both manufacturers interviewed here expressed a positive outlook for future exports of these products, in consideration of the strong market responses to date.

A newcomer to the production of electric scooters, Tai Sheng Electrical Machinery Co., Ltd. has already received a large number of trial orders from different parts of the world for its recently developed products. "Our export markets are wide open. In fact, we hope to export our electric scooters to the global market," stressed a salesperson from the export department.

The battery power required to operate the electric scooters is readily available in Taiwan, noted the salesperson. Aside from the new scooter line, Tai Sheng is a veteran manufacturer of a wide range of massage chairs and other related items. Paying great attention to research and development, Tai Sheng has hired six professionals to run the R&D department.

A special feature of the company's scooters is that the flow of electricity stops automatically when the brakes are applied, reducing risk to a minimum. Additionally, the foldable scooters can bear weights of up to 100 kg, and are able to travel at speeds of up to 14 km an hour. Battery recharging requires four and a half hours.

Just over a month after the Taipei International Cycle Show, He Cheng Fa Enterprise Co., Ltd. had already exported more than 2,000 electric scooters, mainly to the U.S., with some also going to Europe and Japan.

During the exhibition, the company displayed its HCF-701 and HCF-705 electric scooters for the first time. "Responses from foreign buyers at the show were very good," commented Shen Chun-pi, manager of the firm.

Not only is the company busy with new orders, but Shen is also occupied with promoting the products and explaining their special features and capabilities. "I actually just returned from a business trip to the U.S. where I taught technical features of the scooters to our buyers. I discovered that our electric scooters are the best in terms of quality and they ran faster than others at 25-27 km per hour," he said.

While the HCF-705 model incorporates a seat, the HCF-701 version does not. Both electric scooter versions are made of aluminum alloy. The scooters are primarily designed to appeal to young people, Shen said.

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