CDV at the AMPA Trade Fair in Taiwan

In April, our colleague and head of the Autonomous mobility division, Adam Skokan, attended one of Asia’s largest automotive trade shows—AMPA in Taiwan. However, it wasn’t just a passive visit; as a representative of CDV, he was part of the official Czech delegation, which opened the door for him to engage in direct negotiations with leading local universities and technology institutes. The goal was to identify specific projects we could work on together in the near future.

After his return, we interviewed Mr. Skokan to hear about his impressions and the results of this mission.

Mr. Skokan, there is often talk of how technologically advanced Asia is. Is the gap between us in the field of autonomous mobility really that wide?

"Actually, the visit reassured me in a good way. When it comes to the technology itself, we are essentially on par in the Czech Republic. In Taiwan, I mainly saw prototype solutions, not mass-produced vehicles that are already commonly on the roads. Where they are significantly ahead of us, however, is in the speed of development and testing conditions. Their processes are set up much more simply, which allows them to move forward very dynamically, and they will certainly benefit from this head start in the future.”

You met with representatives from ITRI as well as people from universities. What interested these large institutions most about our work at CDV?

"For example, ITRI is an institution with eight thousand employees that, in addition to transportation, also focuses on semiconductor research. They are extremely market-oriented—they can apply almost anything, even things we already perceive as outdated or unusable. We, on the other hand, can offer them our expertise in social and safety aspects. In Europe, we pay much more attention to these safety standards and legislation, which is valuable know-how for them that is often missing in their purely market-driven approach."

It sounds almost surprising that respect for the Czech automotive industry was also discussed there. Are they still interested in our experience?

"Definitely; the Škoda brand still has a very good reputation there and even had its own booth at the trade show. Although the Taiwanese are masters of rapid and efficient prototyping, they themselves run into limits when it comes to mass production, which we in the Czech Republic excel at. It is precisely in this synergy—their ability to iterate quickly and our experience in translating technology into large-scale production—that they see enormous potential for future collaboration."

Setting technology aside, what was your impression of Taiwan in terms of transportation and daily life?

"I was very pleasantly surprised by the calm and incredible order. I expected overcrowded chaos, but the reality is very refined and full of greenery. I was absolutely thrilled by their subway and high-speed rail systems—even as a European, I had no trouble finding my way around and easily traveled across half the island. People are extremely disciplined; they line up in queues and no one cuts in line. Even a detail like the fact that there are no trash cans anywhere, and yet you won’t find any litter anywhere, says a lot about their mentality."

What will you be focusing on professionally at CDV now? Did this trip change your vision of what we should be developing?

"It confirmed to me that we need to establish ourselves more in the area of actual development, not just research. My vision for the coming years is to develop a development center here that will build real robotic systems, autonomous platforms, and other advanced technologies. I want us to draw more inspiration from their market orientation and ensure our projects have the most direct path to practical application. We are currently discussing specific project plans with selected partners."