Li Auto partners with Covestro, signing a strategic cooperation agreement on September 6th!

On September 6, Li Auto and Covestro, the world's leading German materials manufacturer, officially signed a strategic cooperation agreement at Covestro Shanghai Integration Base in Shanghai Chemical Industrial Zone, jointly establishing a joint innovation platform, committed to the research and development of intelligent innovative materials based on future mobility, promoting the development of circular economy, and committed to reducing carbon emissions in the automotive value chain.

Liao Mengjun, Vice President of R&D Operation of Li Auto, and Guido Naberfeld, Senior Vice President of Automotive business of Covestro Engineering Plastics Division, witnessed the signing process. Meanwhile, Duan Jichao, Director of Materials Technology of Li Auto, and Zhang Hao, Marketing Director of Covestro China also attended the signing ceremony.

At the signing ceremony, Liao Mengjun, vice president of research and development operations of Li Auto, said: "Li Auto is committed to realizing the dual energy strategy of 'smart + electric energy' through innovative materials and design, providing users with safer, more comfortable, more convenient and more refined travel experience. The collaboration with Covestro will accelerate our exploration in the field of advanced materials to meet the evolving product needs of our users."

Guido Naberfeld, Senior Vice President, Automotive Global Sales and Marketing, Covestro Engineering Plastics, said: "We are proud to join hands with Li Auto to develop future-oriented mobility solutions. "By combining Covestro's expertise in engineering plastics and recycling solutions with Li Auto's pioneering technologies in intelligence and electrification, we will collectively drive the automotive industry towards a more sustainable future."

According to the agreement, Li Auto and Covestro will jointly establish a joint innovation platform, give full play to the technological advantages of both parties, and jointly develop high-performance optical grade materials, smart surface technology, new in-mold structural electronics processes and thermal conductivity solutions, and support the upgrading of product experience through material innovation.

In addition, the two sides will collaborate on the development of new low-carbon technologies, the use of recycled biomass and recycled materials to replace petrochemical source materials, and work with value chain partners to explore innovative processes and business models for the use of recycled headlight materials in new vehicle components.

On the day of the event, the two companies jointly launched two industry-leading new materials for vehicle scale - innovative light diffusion and infrared transmission model cloning polycarbonate. Among them, the new light-diffused polycarbonate material is developed based on Li Auto's extreme demand for smart headlamp shape and exquisite sense.

Li Auto materials, lighting team and Covestro technical team balance the comprehensive needs of the ultimate smoke-gray appearance, light leveling effect and light transmission performance, and cooperate to develop an innovative material solution of exquisite smoke-gray, high half power Angle and high transmittal rate. The lampshade prepared by this material can achieve a more exquisite uniform lighting effect of intelligent headlamps.

Another new infrared transmissible polycarbonate material was developed based on Li Auto's need for extreme photoaging resistance. In order to meet the needs of extreme appearance aging and light transmittal vision, Li Auto materials and lighting team and the technical team of Costra have jointly developed an innovative infrared transmittal black polycarbonate with a transmittal rate of > 85% in the infrared band from 760nm to 1100nm and an initial transmittal band of > 740nm.

Compared with the conventional black polycarbonate, which absorbs sunlight energy in the whole band, the new infrared transmission polycarbonate material greatly optimizes the photoaging resistance of the parts. Compared with conventional infrared transmissible black polycarbonate material, it can avoid the risk of light leakage in the visible band.

These two innovative materials will help Li Auto's smart headlights be more refined and durable.

According to the planning of the joint innovation platform, the two parties will continue to cooperate deeply in the research and development of multi-functional polycarbonate materials, and continue to develop advanced functional materials in the functional directions of appearance, light, electricity and heat, so as to continuously improve the product power and user experience of Li Auto.