French Delegation Visits Taiwan's Automotive R&D Center

Taipei, March 23, 2011 (CENS)--A French delegation of several senior government officials called on Taiwan's Automotive Research & Testing Center (ARTC) recently to better understand Taiwan's capability in advanced automotive electronics and electric-vehicle (EV) development, according to the government-sponsored automotive R&D center.

Key members in the French delegation include Luc Rousseau, General Directorate for Competitiveness, Industry and Services, Ministry for the Economy, Industry and Employment; Cecile Dubarry, Director of the Service for Communication and Information Technologies, General Directorate for Competitiveness, Industry and Services, Ministry of Economy, Industry and Employment; Mireille Pannetier. Information and Communication Technologies, Directorate General for Enterprise etc.

The French officials saw ARTC's major R&D achievements, such as the intelligent PAS (parking assist system)/auto parking system, EBS (electronic braking system), and different EV prototypes, and were impressed, according to the center.

In 2009, the EV was made the first time a key project for Taiwan-France industrial cooperation. As a critical institute in Taiwan handling development of and testing EVs as well as setting up test standards, the ARTC is a must-see for French delegations involved in EV development.

According to the ARTC, the center president Joy Huang proposed to the French delegation that the two nations could cooperate on different EV projects in three major directions: pilot operation, testing standards and lithium-ion battery. The center also showed the French officials, experts the current progress of various EV development.

Rousseau was very interested in EV lithium-ion battery and recharging interface, and hoped the ARTC could cooperate further with French automotive certification company UTAC in testing and inspection.