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Despite the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on global industries, the d&i awards this year still attracted nearly 110 qualified submissions from 10 countries. E-bikes continued to feature heavily in the winners. According to the jury, the submission showed a strong development of parts and systems integration designed with the user experience in mind.
Commuting and cargo leading in product development
The jury also noted that, “the impact of the pandemic has caused significant changes in the bicycle industry in 2020. It can be seen from the entries this year that the effort and energy put into innovative research and new product development have no longer focused on sports, competition or leisure, but tapped into the needs of various groups, such as commuting and cargo, etc.”
“The creative process in product development also begins to shift from discovering and solving problems to focusing more on lowering the threshold and offer better user experience and narrowing the distance between the product and the user, which should be very much encouraged.”
E-bikes drive Taiwan’s industry
For the first time the opening remarks were given by Ms. Leonor Lin, President & CEO, of Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA). She succeeded Walter Yeh after his retirement last year. Leonor Lin addressed the importance of the e-bike for the country’s industry. “E-bikes exports have been the biggest driving force for industry growth this past year, with a value almost as high as that of complete bikes. Export value grew by 14% from 2019 to 2020 worth € 812 million.
Not surprisingly, e-bikes will feature prominently in the upcoming Taipei Cycle Online Show, scheduled to take place March 3 – March 31. This networking platform for industry professionals, will help to bring the 252 exhibitors closer to global buyers. International exhibitors now comprise 24% of the total number of exhibitors at the online event.
