36Kr Exclusive | Core Material Costs Reduced to One-Fifth of Imported Materials, Electrochromic Technology Manufacturer Secures Funding, Automotive-Grade Production Line Under Construction
Yingke learned that Zhongke Dianmo recently completed a Pre-A round of financing worth tens of millions of yuan, exclusively invested by Xi'an Longding Investment. This round of financing will be mainly used for the construction of automotive-grade electrochromic production lines, the R & D and iteration of core materials, and the market expansion in the automotive field.
As new energy vehicles are being upgraded towards intelligence and comfort, automotive glass is gradually evolving from traditional structural components into functional components that integrate heat insulation, sun protection, privacy protection, and interactive experience. Especially after the rapid popularization of panoramic sunroofs, dimmable glass has begun to become one of the important configurations for automobile manufacturers to enhance product differentiation.
Currently, the mainstream dimming technologies in the market mainly include three routes: PDLC (liquid crystal dimming), SPD (suspended particle dimming), and EC (electrochromism). PDLC and SPD mainly rely on light scattering to achieve the shielding effect, and generally have problems such as high haze, limited heat insulation ability, and high driving voltage. The electrochromic technology, on the other hand, realizes the change of glass transmittance through the redox reaction of materials. It can not only achieve continuous dimming but also has the advantages of low haze, low energy consumption, and the ability to block infrared thermal radiation. It is considered one of the important technological routes for the next generation of smart glass.
Zhongke Dianmo was founded in 2023 and focuses on the R & D of electrochromic core materials and devices. Dr. Ma Mingming, the company's chief scientist, has been engaged in the research of conductive polymer materials for a long time and successfully developed the relevant core material system in 2017. By introducing self - designed conductive polymer materials, Zhongke Dianmo has broken through the key material link long dominated by overseas enterprises, significantly reducing costs while improving performance.
According to Zhang Ying, currently, the high - end electrochromic conductive polymer materials in the international market are mainly supplied by a few overseas enterprises, while Zhongke Dianmo has achieved self - control. The price of its core materials is only about one - fifth of that of international similar products.
In addition, Zhongke Dianmo's electrochromic products can block more than 99% of ultraviolet rays and more than 99% of infrared rays, and meet the requirement of a service life of more than 15 years for automobiles. In terms of response speed, the color change time of an automobile sunroof of the same size from the transparent state to the dark state can be shortened to less than 90 seconds, while currently, some mass - produced products usually take several minutes to complete the same process. At the same time, its driving voltage is only about ±1.5V, which is equivalent to the power supply level of a button battery. Compared with some dimming solutions that require dozens of volts of driving voltage, it can significantly reduce the energy consumption burden of the whole vehicle.
In addition to material innovation, Zhongke Dianmo has also systematically optimized the manufacturing process.
Traditional electrochromic products mostly use process routes such as magnetron sputtering, which require high equipment investment, have limited production efficiency, and are difficult to manufacture large - sized products. Zhongke Dianmo has developed an integrated production process combining roll - to - roll coating and continuous vacuum coating, increasing the industry's average yield rate from about 70% to over 92%, and at the same time reducing the comprehensive manufacturing cost by nearly 30%.
In terms of commercialization, the automotive industry is the company's most important strategic direction at present.
It is reported that Zhongke Dianmo has cooperated with leading domestic automobile manufacturers, new - force brands, and international industrial chain enterprises. Currently, Zhongke Dianmo is building its first automotive - grade intelligent flexible production line in Jiaxing, Zhejiang. The total investment in the first - phase project is about 40 million yuan, with a planned annual production capacity of more than 600,000 square meters, which can meet the mass - production needs of 1 to 2 models. The total investment in the three - phase project in the future will exceed 100 million yuan, and it will have the ability to flexibly switch between multiple product categories such as sunroofs, side windows, and optical lenses.
The company expects that with the completion of the automotive - grade production line, the automotive business will enter the large - scale mass - production stage in 2027.
(Image source/Enterprise)
Meanwhile, the company is also deploying in the fields of architecture, consumer electronics, and special equipment. In the field of architecture, it is participating in the construction of benchmark projects and related work on industry standards; in the field of consumer electronics, the company is promoting the application of electrochromic technology to products such as AR glasses, smart glasses, cycling glasses, and smart helmets; in the field of special equipment, its electrochromic film products have been applied in relevant scenarios.
(Image source/Enterprise)
The following is an excerpt from the exchange between Yingke and Zhang Ying, the founder of Zhongke Dianmo (slightly edited):
Yingke: Does the company's core competitiveness come more from the process or the materials?
Zhang Ying: Materials are the most core competitiveness. Our chief scientist has been engaged in the research of conductive polymer materials for a long time and has accumulated more than 20 years of experience in this field. Electrochromism is essentially a materials science problem. The materials determine the product's lifespan, response speed, color performance, and heat insulation performance.
Based on the self - developed conductive polymer system, we can not only block more than 99% of ultraviolet rays and more than 99% of infrared rays but also design different color systems according to customer needs. For example, in the future, cars can be equipped with electrochromic glass of the same color as the car body when leaving the factory, realizing dynamic changes from dark to transparent. In addition,
In addition, the cost of our core materials is only about one - fifth of that of international similar products, which significantly reduces the industrialization threshold while ensuring performance and has a great cost advantage.
Yingke: What is the current commercialization progress of the company?
Zhang Ying: The automotive market is our most important area of focus. Currently, we have cooperated with domestic automobile manufacturers, new - force brands, and international industrial chain partners, and some projects have entered the prototype verification stage. Since we did not have our own automotive - grade production line before, the relevant products were mainly verified through partner factories. Therefore, the biggest challenge at present is actually the production capacity construction. This year, we are building our first automotive - grade flexible intelligent production line in Jiaxing and are simultaneously promoting the construction in accordance with the factory audit standards of the main engine manufacturers. We hope to quickly enter the mass - production stage after the production line is completed.
In addition to the automotive industry, we are also promoting the implementation in the fields of architecture, consumer electronics, and special equipment. For example, intelligent dimming curtain walls in the field of architecture, consumer electronic products such as AR glasses and smart glasses, and some special equipment application scenarios. It is expected that the consumer electronics and other businesses will contribute nearly 20 million yuan in revenue this year, and the automotive business is expected to start generating large - scale revenue in 2027.
Views of the investor
Mr. Zhao Cong of Longding Investment said: Electrochromic materials are the core technology in the field of intelligent dimming. The market has broad prospects and conforms to the national strategy of domesticating new materials. The Zhongke Dianmo team has profound technological accumulation and industrialization experience. The self - developed EC technology route has significant competitive advantages in terms of performance and cost, and its commercialization progress is leading the industry. We are optimistic about the company's potential for explosion in scenarios such as smart cars and green buildings. In the future, we will give full play to our industrial chain resources and capital empowerment advantages and provide all - round support in terms of technology R & D, production capacity construction, market expansion, and strategic planning to help Zhongke Dianmo quickly grow into a globally leading electrochromic materials enterprise.