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Covestro Sonnenwagen: Full throttle with solar power

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  • Intensified cooperation for the toughest solar race in Australia
  • Covestro supports the Sonnenwagen Team as main sponsor
  • Testing innovative materials for electromobility

For several years now, a highly motivated team of students from RWTH Aachen University and FH Aachen has been working on the question of how to make electric mobility more sustainable. The goal of this Sonnenwagen Team is to develop an electric car powered by solar energy that will compete in the world's toughest solar car race – the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge 2019.

 

Following the initial successful participation at the race in Australia 2017 as "Best Newcomer" and the third place at the European Solar Challenge 2018, the team now wants to build on these experiences and challenge the next step at the World Solar Challenge 2019. "There we want to take on the challenge of the world's leading developers from Delft, Michigan and Leuven in Belgium," says Markus Eckstein, first chairman for the Sonnenwagen Team.

As a leading global provider of innovative and sustainable materials solutions, Covestro shares the students' enthusiasm and will work with them to push the boundaries of that which is possible and make the project a success. Julia Cramer, heading the project at Covestro, explains: "We have been working together with the renowned RTWH Aachen for a long time and, after the successful cooperation in 2017, are now supporting the solar car project with a variety of materials and technical services as well as being the main sponsor". The primary objective is to test new materials under the extreme climatic conditions of the track.

 

Partnership for solar mobility

Global trends such as climate protection and the conservation of resources coupled with increasing mobility are forcing car manufacturers to rethink. Trends such as electric mobility, networking, autonomous driving and car sharing require totally new vehicle concepts and technologies. Lightweight and functional materials from Covestro reduce fuel consumption and play an important role in extending the range of electric vehicles, for example. They also impart the required stability.

 

Sustainability is a central component of Covestro's corporate strategy, and solar mobility could make an important contribution to climate protection and the conservation of fossil resources. That is why Covestro is supporting this ambitious project and intensifying its cooperation with the Sonnenwagen Team. Thanks to its innovative materials, the company is providing solutions for the mobility of the future. One of Covestro's forward-looking goals is to support automotive concepts in which vehicles generate energy while in motion. Another objective is to test materials that could later be used in other applications. Covestro is also promoting young talent with this project.

 

The new Covestro Sonnenwagen is scheduled to be presented to the public for the first time in Aachen on 22 July.

 

About Covestro:

With 2018 sales of EUR 14.6 billion, Covestro is among the world’s largest polymer companies. Business activities are focused on the manufacture of high-tech polymer materials and the development of innovative solutions for products used in many areas of daily life. The main segments served are the automotive, construction, wood processing and furniture, and electrical and electronics industries. Other sectors include sports and leisure, cosmetics, health and the chemical industry itself. Covestro has 30 production sites worldwide and employs approximately 16,800 people (calculated as full-time equivalents) at the end of 2018.

 

This press release is available for download from the Covestro press server at www.covestro.com. Photos are available there for download as well. Please acknowledge the source of any pictures used.

 

For more information please see www.covestro.com.

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Forward-looking statements

This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Covestro AG. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Covestro’s public reports. These reports are available at www.covestro.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to make them conform to future events or developments.

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