PTWs emit 50% less CO2 than automobiles over the same distance To confront the increasingly serious problems such as traffic congestion and environmental pollution, the Association of Motorcycle Manufacturers in Europe, or ACEM, is promoting a slogan—“Powered Two-Wheelers: the SMART Choice for Urban Mobility”—that is expected to both help solve the urbanization problem and boost powered two-wh...

Taiwan's Executive Yuan (Cabinet) hopes to have some 160,000 e-scooters on the roads by 2013. In late 2009 it mapped out the "Electric Scooter Industry Development and Promotion Plan" to promote e-scooters with lithium-ion batteries in Taiwan. The government not only wants to help develop the industry. It also aims to replace high-pollution internal combustion engine (ICE) powered two-wheelers (P...

Besides the often reported financial woes besetting Italy, the largest powered two-wheeler (PTW) market in Europe has also been suffering steadily dropping sales that are threatening its long-established PTW industry, one that may have given the world the iconic Vespa and blueprints for the show-stopping Ducati, with enough gravity to motivate many operators and trade associations to devise way...

Many exciting new products, bikes and concepts were unveiled at the 2012 Taiwan International Motorcycle Industry Show (Motorcycle Taiwan) and Taiwan International Electric Vehicle Show (EV Taiwan) held at the Taipei World Trade Center (TWTC) Exhibition Hall 1 from April 12-15. The joint four-day events ran in sync with the 2012 Taipei International Auto Parts and Accessories Show (Taipei AMPA) a...

The year 2011 marked the dawn of the global plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) market, with three new models having been launched for retail sales: the Nissan Leaf, Chevrolet Volt and Mitsubishi iMiev. With Nissan, Chevrolet and Mitsubishi and many other carmakers working to electrify new models, and Toyota having launched the PEV Prius in January this year, the year 2012 will be an important test of...

Unlike the automobile market, which has recovered over the past two years, the powered two-wheeler (PTW) market in the European Union (EU) has been suffering sales declines every year since 2008 and still sees no sign of a letup in the slump. The EU’s PTW market recorded its worst performance of the decade in 2011, with PTW registrations falling 9.5% or about 170,000 units to only 1.7 million,...

TD HiTech Energy Inc., a battery management system (BMS) developer as well as battery-pack and -module manufacturer that operates under Taiwan’s Welldone Group, recently announced major breakthroughs in battery-pack heat dissipation technology that are claimed to delay battery decay, prolong battery life, and greatly upgrade the reliability and safety of battery packs. Yang Mo-hua, preside...

Europe has always been one of the most important areas for the global powered two-wheeler (PTW) industry. The region represents an annual market of two million to 2.5 million PTWs, and the greatest majority of international PTW brands are based on the continent. In the first two quarters of the year, some key developments in Europe are expected to help global PTW-related makers and buyers plan...

One vital factor affecting the powered two-wheeler (PTW) market in Europe is the different driver's-license qualifications enforced by different countries there. . In some European nations, for example, youngsters can easily get driver's licenses at age 16 for mopeds (PTWs with pedals or engine displacements under 50cc), or anyone who with driver's license for cars can also ride a PTW with an ...

The Yulon Group of Taiwan, the largest car-making conglomerate on the island, continues to show not only its prowess in making innovative vehicles, but also its commitment to be a responsible corporate citizen: its flagship firm Yulon Motor Co. recently debuted the own-brand LUXGEN full-electric multi-purpose van (MPV)—the Luxgen7 EV+; while another affiliate China Motor Corp. (CMC) debuted its f...