Covestro’s automotive industry experience also applies to the Japanese market, where the Innovation Center of Covestro has developed many sustainable solutions in components for low-density polyurethane foams, amongst others.
Covestro
Covestro provides sustainable solution for concept car
For Toyota Motor Corporation's new "LQ" electric concept car, its car component manufacturer, Toyota Boshoku Corporation, selected Covestro as its partner for the joint development of a new, particularly lightweight polyurethane composite material.
Based on its innovation leadership, Covestro was chosen as partner by Toyota Boshoku Corporation, a car component manufacturer of the Japanese Toyota Group, for jointly developing a new polyurethane composite material for the new electric concept car “LQ”, developed by Toyota Motor Corporation.
Hiroaki Ido, Head of Polyurethanes Application Development for Transportation at Covestro's Japanese Innovation Center, said: “Our joint development makes an important contribution to the design of particularly lightweight and sustainable vehicles. It is also a good example of our company's focus on using alternative raw materials and establishing a circular economy.”
The material is based on a combination of Covestro's advanced Baypreg F NF technology and Toyota Boshoku's expertise in using kenaf fibres, and offers a lightweight and sustainable solution. In the “LQ”, the new product is used in door trims, where it makes its world premiere in a car model of this manufacturer.
Kenaf is a member of the hibiscus family and grows in regions such as South East Asia, Bangladesh, India and Africa.
The fibre is obtained from bast fibres of the kenaf plant and has recently attracted increasing attention as a cost-effective raw material with good mechanical properties. In the automotive industry, the plant fibre is also attracting increasing interest as an alternative raw material.
The kenaf fibre-reinforced polyurethane foam composite is characterised by a very low area density and high strength, making the door trim 30 per cent lighter than it would be with conventional materials.