The Ministry of Economic Affairs hosted the 25th International Bicycle Design Competition (IBDC) award ceremony today, with a total of 181 entries from 17 countries participating. The gold medal of this edition was won by Chinese designer Jie Zhang's " BONUS Commuting and Fitness Dual-Purpose Bicycle ", while the silver medal "DUAL C " and the bronze medal "FILO New Style Sharing Vehicle" were won by Taiwanese designers Hao-Zhen Jiang and Qian-Yue Liao respectively. The ceremony also simultaneously unveiled two technology projects: first is the significantly enhanced 2.0 version of the Handcycle, which will provide disabled individuals safer and healthier exercise experience.  The second is the " Smart Power System for E-Bike" developed by Delta, funded by the A+ Project, which drastically reduces in size while providing powerful output and increased design freedom.

    During his speech, Zhi-Ching Yang, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, emphasized Taiwan's comprehensive bicycle industry supply chain, featuring globally renowned bicycle brands and numerous top-tier component suppliers. He highlighted Taiwan's status as not only one of the most competitive countries in global bicycle industry but also as a cluster for R&D of high-end bicycles worldwide. Looking ahead, he expressed optimism about the future of smart bicycles through technological integration.

    The IBDC, which began in 1996, has accumulated nearly 15,000 excellent design works from 87 countries worldwide. This edition's theme, " Intelligence．Sustainability．Cool Lifestyle" echoes the current trends of intelligence and sustainability, aiming to explore and promote more bicycle products and services that align with the trends of intelligence, green environmental protection, and personal lifestyle.

    A total of 17 winning works were selected for the 25th IBDC. Jie Zhang, the Chinese designer of the gold medal-winning work "BONUS Commuting and Fitness Dual-Purpose Bicycle," not only provides modern young people with multifunctional commuting fitness equipment but also meets the needs of convenience, green travel, and healthy living. The detachable design facilitates different riding needs indoors and outdoors, and the energy generated by riding can be converted into electricity, embodying innovative and practical ideas and designs, which were unanimously praised by the judges.

  The silver medal-winning work, "DUAL C- Eco-friendly Scooter e-bike," is an environmentally friendly scooter e-bike that can adapt to the growth of children in different stages. In addition to the changeable structure, it also utilizes an adjustable core and sliding frame to change the position of the seat and pedals and expand the pedal and battery modules as children grow at appropriate ages.

The bronze medal-winning work, "FILO- New Style Sharing Vehicle" features a rotating compartment for easy getting into and out, even for people with mobility impairments, with warning systems inside and outside to protect users and alert others to the vehicle's movements.

    Two technological project achievements were also announced during the ceremony. The first achievement is the “Handcycle 2.0” developed by the Cycling & Health Tech Industry R&D Center (CHC). The micro-film "I'll Always Wait for You at the Turning Point", based on the true story of life fighter Xin-Ru He, shows that with technological assistance, let disabled can easily realize their dreams of uphill and island cycling is not a dream anymore. Chairman Patrick Pai of the CHC stated that the Handcycle 2.0 has significantly improved in various aspects such as body structure, electromechanical architecture, networking capabilities, and safety alerts, making it a healthier and more reassuring sports/micro-mobility vehicle. The other achievement is the "Smart Power System for E-Bike" developed by Delta under the support of the A+ Program from the Ministry of Economic Affairs. This system uses Delta's second-generation mid-drive motor, which is 30% smaller than the previous generation while providing higher torque output and power. Its rounded appearance and simplified mounting structure also enhance the design freedom of the bike frame.

Leading actress Hsin-Ru Ho of the Handcycle microfilm (from left), Director-General Chiu-Hui Chiu of
the Department of Industrial Technology, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Director-General's Secretary,
Chih-Ching Yang of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Chairman Patric Pai of the Bicycle Research
and Development Center, General Manager Chia-Hsiang Huang of GOMIER. 

    Amidst the wave of intelligence in the bicycle industry, there is an urgent demand for a unified integrated interface and communication protocol. Therefore, under the joint call of the Taiwan Bicycle Association (TBA)and CHC, the "Bicycle Common Protocol Alliance" was formally established today, aiming to integrate industry needs, formulate bicycle-common protocols, improve the digital transformation and system integration capabilities of Taiwan bicycle industry, and thereby expand the market size and value.

Director-General Chiu-Chiu Hui of the Department of Industrial Technology, Ministry of Economic Affairs
(fifth from the left), Director-General's Secretary Chih-Ching Yang of the Ministry of Economic Affairs
(sixth from the left), Chairman Patric Pai of the Bicycle Center (seventh from the left),
Chairman Robert Wu of the Taiwan Bicycle Association, etc.