Industrial and Commercial Times - Reported by Liu Zhu-song
Published: 2024.12.08 22:06
Industrial and Commercial Times - Reported by Liu Zhu-song
Master Transportation Chairman Wu Ting-fa (rightmost), Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (second from the right), and Paraguayan Ambassador to Taiwan, Fecalo, personally visited Taipei Port on the 7th to witness the scene of 30 electric buses manufactured by Master Transportation being loaded onto ships for shipment to the friendly nation of Paraguay. (Photo from Lin Chia-lung’s Facebook)
The government is promoting the "Honorary Taiwan Program," and Taiwan's leading electric bus manufacturer, Master Transportation, is the first to respond. Under the personal witness of Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung, Master Transportation produced 30 electric buses. On the morning of the 7th, these buses were shipped from Taipei Port to Paraguay, a friendly nation in Central and South America. They are expected to arrive in Paraguay by February next year, realizing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' "Honorary Taiwan Program" and embodying President Lai Ching-te's vision of making Taiwan an "economy without sunset."
Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung posted on Facebook on the 7th that although there was light rain at Taipei Port, he, Master Transportation Chairman Wu Ting-fa, and Paraguayan Ambassador to Taiwan Fecalo felt great joy watching the 30 electric buses board the ship. After sea transport and land transport, they are expected to reach Paraguay by February.
Paraguay is the only country in South America that has diplomatic relations with the Republic of China (Taiwan) and is also the largest of Taiwan’s 12 current diplomatic allies. Moving forward, Taiwan's government will revitalize the "Taiwan-Paraguay Industrial Zone," upgrading it to an intelligent technology park. This will bring investment and job opportunities to Paraguay and make the country a key base for Taiwanese businesses entering the South American "Mercosur" trade bloc, creating mutual benefits and prosperity for both nations.
Wu Ting-fa noted that the company’s monthly production capacity for electric buses currently stands at 88 units, with an annual production of about 1,000 units. In addition to city buses, the company will also introduce intercity and medium-sized electric buses. Orders for the first to third quarters of next year will reach 450 units, with production capacity available in the fourth quarter for continued orders.
Master Transportation's current electric bus production base is located in Pingtung. To expand its future electric bus production capacity, the group has already built a factory in the Zhongke Erlin Park. It will become the largest electric bus industrial park in Asia, outside of China.
Wu Ting-fa revealed that when the new electric bus factory in Erlin is completed by the end of 2026, it will have three production lines, tripling the company’s current electric bus production capacity. The annual production will be approximately 3,000 vehicles. Additionally, around 10,000 chassis and other key components will be manufactured, with exports to overseas markets.
With the government’s continued push for net-zero carbon emissions policies, Taiwan’s market will see the replacement of approximately 14,000 buses and coaches, as well as 15,000 tour buses, with electric buses. This will create business opportunities for replacing diesel buses and coaches with electric buses.
Paraguay is a brotherly country to Taiwan. President Peña of Paraguay has set up an electric bus pilot program to improve domestic public transportation. He values Taiwan’s technological strength and has invited excellent Taiwanese manufacturers to participate. This allows Taiwan’s high-quality electric buses to enter the South American market while also exporting Taiwan’s smart net-zero technologies abroad.
Lin Chia-lung believes that electric buses are not just transportation tools but also integrate smart transportation systems, vehicle networking, big data, and artificial intelligence technologies, providing many innovative applications. They are an essential foundation for building smart cities and have now become an indispensable area of Taiwan's "Honorary Taiwan Program."