In June 2023, the Chinese government introduced two notable policies targeting the EV sector. One policy involves EV tax breaks, while the other entails the expansion of the new energy vehicle (NEV) promotion initiative in rural areas. As observed by DIGITIMES Research analyst Jessie Lin, these policies yield several advantages, including a sustained boost in market demand, amplified investments by Chinese carmakers in the EV domain, and the advantageous preservation of China's prominent position within the EV industry.
Over the past week, a series of developments and rumors regarding Foxconn's investments in India have occurred. Global PC and notebook manufacturers are closely watching if India will recosider implementing its import restrictions on computers.
Applications such as electric vehicles and energy storage have gradually seen material demands. However, whether the two applications can be operated safely and effectively depends on the battery. Many industry leaders in Taiwan have been investing in those fields or cross-domain developments for many years. Among them, Taiwan startup XING Mobility has not only written a new chapter for battery cooling technology but also successfully found a new breakthrough for Taiwan manufacturers in the international market competition.
Swiggy, an India-based online food delivery platform, revealed a collaboration with Taiwan-based Gogoro, with the latter providing its battery-swapping technology for last-mile deliveries.
Taiwan is making strides towards achieving its 2050 net-zero objective, with geothermal power generation emerging as a pivotal player in the field of renewable energy. TCC Green Energy's geothermal power plant is gearing up for grid testing by the end of 2024, thereby paving the path for its official entry into commercial operation. Presently, Taiwan is witnessing a dynamic developmental landscape, with eight geothermal power plants underway across over 20 locations.
China has been aggressively developing level 3 vehicle autonomy in recent years. According to local media reports, the country has formed a shared opinion that the driver of an L3 autonomous car will claim responsibility first under any circumstances in an accident caused by their vehicle. The consensus will likely be applied to accidents caused by vehicles with L4 and L5 autonomy in the future.
Both Mercedes-Benz with its level 3 automated driving and Tesla have actively approached China with their full self-driving solutions (FSD). Despite not yet receiving formal approval for entry, Chinese media highlights Tesla's ongoing deployment of an on-site FSD team within China.
A recent official statement from Tesla discloses the establishment of a data center in China, intended to house all data generated by its vehicles in the country. This strategic move is believed to play a pivotal role in Tesla's establishment of its FSD team in China. This also indirectly signals the activation of Tesla's supercomputer within China.
Hydrogen economy has become the goal that Bosch will pursue in the following years. Andreas Schmidt, managing director of Bosch Taiwan, said Taiwan still needs more time to mature in the sector. The company also wants the government to detail its hydrogen policy to help the industry grow.
Car manufacturers have long been investing in building up their automotive chip supply chain, and the power module sector has been attracting major investment from them. Auto makers in China are trying to secure their access to power modules by collaborating with silicon carbide compound semiconductor (SiC) product providers, so as to catch up with BYD, the electrical automotive giant with the capability of producing batteries and IGBT/SiC key components.
China-based battery giant CATL unveiled Shenxing, a new LFP battery, on August 16. The battery can enable an EV driving range of 400 kilometers with one 10-minute charge. The company said the first car equipped with the technology will be available in the first quarter of 2024.
Wolfspeed, one of the leading providers of silicon carbide chips, posed a worsening operating and net loss for the latest quarter. The company expects rising costs due to factory start-up and operating costs with new facilities.
Taiwan's offshore wind power sector has embarked on its third phase. The earlier progression through the first and second phases has led to a upsurge in demand for subsequent services in wind farm operation and maintenance(O&M). Projections indicate that the annual economic prospects in offshore wind power O&M could reach up to NT$30 billion. To foster the localization of the offshore wind power supply chain, Taiwan Power Company (Taipower) and other key industry stakeholders have sequentially established O&M hubs in Taiwan.
Tire-pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) have become standard equipment in automobiles. Right now, most car brands have TPMS as a standard or optional feature when new cars leave the factory. According to data from Mordor Intelligence, the global TPMS market scale reached US$5.67 billion in 2023 and will grow to US$13.6 billion by 2028, a CAGR of 13%. Although North America is still the largest market, Asia-Pacific is the fastest-growing market.
Hyundai Motor Group agreed to acquire a manufacturing facility from General Motors (GM) in India, as the Korea-based automaker is looking to expand in the world's third-largest auto market.
IC design house Sunplus Technology has expressed concerns regarding its business prospects for the remainder of 2023 and the first half of 2024, citing low order visibility.
