Hyena E-Bike Systems made its mark at Taichung Bike Week 2024 with ambitious goals for the future. The Show Daily took the opportunity to speak with CEO Charlie Chuang about his plans for the company.
The market for e-bike motors is particularly competitive these days. More and more manufacturers are entering the segment, eager to claim their share of the growing e-mobility pie. “That’s why it’s more important than ever to position yourself correctly in the market and offer the right package to partners,” says Charlie Chuang ahead of last year’s Taichung Bike Week.
The CEO of Hyena E-Bike Systems speaks from experience. Since founding his company in 2013, he has always taken his own path, and, unlike many suppliers who initially focused purely on producing motors and batteries, he concentrated not only on producing hardware but also on the surrounding ecosystem, especially in the areas of system integration, motor control units, HMIs, and software integration. It was a strategy that turned out to be very successful. Today, Hyena is considered one of the top names in the Taiwanese e-bike motor market, a position they intend to expand in the future, according to Chuang.
A New, Sharpened Focus
In order to achieve this, the company has sharpened its strategic focus. “In the e-drivetrain space, we face strong competition from different German and Japanese brands. German players are the most mature, dominating the high-end segments, though the market is nearing saturation. Meanwhile, Chinese suppliers are gaining ground with aggressive pricing strategies. Our goal is to offer something different. Therefore, we will adjust our strategy to differentiate ourselves, which may include pricing adjustments to adapt to market changes,” Chuang explains, referring to the “excellence within reach” slogan of his company.
“You can consider our positioning similar to Toyota in the automotive world: premium quality at an accessible price. This doesn’t mean we compete on low cost, nor do we position ourselves like BMW or Porsche in the high-end car segment. But it is about delivering the best value in the market. More importantly, we will continue to emphasise Hyena’s unique strengths and highlight our differentiators, such as digital services and features, extensive development and market experience, and pre-and post-sales service.”
Strong Software Expertise
By this, Chuang hints that the software side of his company—already a major USP for Hyena in recent years—will also be expanded. “As a Taiwanese brand, we have less direct exposure and familiarity with the market, and we might not be able to establish thousands of service points across Europe. While leading players like Bosch may have extensive after-sales support that we cannot match, we’ve built a solid software and cloud-based platform to enhance service”, he says. “Our strong software expertise enables rapid digitalisation, benefiting stakeholders throughout the product lifecycle, from development and manufacturing to after-sales service and end-user support. To my knowledge, no one else is doing the same.”
Chuang also indicated that there will be a strong emphasis on ODM collaborations. “We have two business models to support different types of clients in creating their ideal e-bikes. For small to mid-sized clients looking to quickly develop an e-bike model with fewer resources and faster market entry, we offer a complete range of Hyena-branded standard products and related support. For larger clients who demand greater product uniqueness and are willing to invest time and resources in development, we offer ODM collaboration, leveraging our technology and experience. Maintaining this flexibility to support our business partners is a key strategy for Hyena,” he said.