Smart glass application car companies no longer fear the heat with the sky curtain. Guangyi Technology hopes to use Hong Kong as a starting point to promote building products

Smart Glass Applications in Automotive Industry: No More Fear of Heat with Sky Roof, Guangyi Technology Aims to Promote Building Products Starting from Hong Kong More and more automotive companies are using panoramic sky roofs. Although they look luxurious and provide a broader view, they also bring the problem of sun protection, with the temperature of the sky roof glass reaching up to 70 degrees. Some car owners even have to wear hats, pour water to cool down, or even stick newspapers to block the sky roof. To solve these problems, a Shenzhen-based technology company focused on researching EC electrochromic light-sensitive glass, "Guangyi Technology," has begun to apply its technology to automotive companies, including models like ZEEKR 001 and Nio EC7, which have been equipped with this technology. Testing has shown that it can reduce air conditioning energy consumption by 25%. The company hopes to use Hong Kong as a starting point to promote building products in the future. Reporter Tests: Sunlight Not Dazzling During the interview, a reporter from "Sing Tao Daily" was invited to experience a business vehicle. Except for the front windshield, which was not equipped with EC glass, all side windows were installed with it. Due to the strong sunlight that day, the interior was completely dark when getting into the car. Looking up directly at the sunlight was not dazzling, and the side windows felt cooler to the touch, while the front windshield was very hot. When switched to full brightness mode, the smaller side windows began to brighten in about 10 seconds. Duanyu, the company secretary of Guangyi Technology, introduced that to switch to full brightness mode, the side windows only need 30 seconds, while the sky roof, due to its larger area, takes about 2 minutes to fully brighten. He stated, "The requirement from automotive companies is that children can look up without the sun being dazzling," allowing people inside the car to be in a comfortable state and providing sun protection to safeguard privacy. At the same time, it also has heat insulation functions. For example, if a vehicle is exposed to direct sunlight at noon, it will be cooler than regular sunshades or ordinary sky roofs. If the outdoor temperature is 35 degrees, after being exposed for one or two hours, the interior will be at least 5 degrees lower than the outside. Some models have been tested to reduce air conditioning energy consumption by 25%. Additionally, he pointed out that this technology allows new energy vehicles to maintain the transparency of the glass. For instance, many automotive companies apply heat-insulating "sunroof ice armor," which can impair visibility, maintaining only about 10% darkness. EC glass can solve privacy and sun protection issues while maintaining external visibility. Rising Amidst the New Energy Vehicle Boom Guangyi Technology was established in 2017 in Silicon Valley, USA, aiming to create a visually comfortable and sustainable living experience through the light and heat regulation of transparent media such as glass and plastic. The company started with researchers in the field of electrochromic science worldwide. At that time, the two founders of Guangyi Technology were studying in California, and besides continuously publishing papers, they also wanted to do something concrete Coincidentally, the summer in California was particularly hot, and with all the floor-to-ceiling glass, "they couldn't stand the heat and decided not to wait." From 2016 to 2019, they began researching the development and commercialization of third-generation EC technology in the laboratory, and in 2017, they simultaneously established a company in Shenzhen, starting large-scale production in Suzhou in 2021. However, there was actually a huge gap from materials to products. Duan Yu mentioned that at first, they thought that once the product was made, it could be sold, but in the actual business promotion process, the persuasion process was quite long, especially for such high-value products. No one had done mass production before, and it had to go through procurement, product, project, sales, R&D, engineering, and the CEO's approval. By 2021, Guangyi Technology launched its first automotive sky canopy, Zeekr 001, in collaboration with others. Riding the wave of new energy vehicles, it finally transformed from a technology that few people knew about at the beginning to something that almost all car manufacturers are aware of. Now, the company has collaborated with models such as BYD Seal, BYD Dolphin, and Nio, and it is expected that by the end of 2025, 20 models will adopt this technology, with hopes for some overseas business expansion in the future. 90% of Hong Kong's Electricity Used for Buildings In addition to being used by new energy vehicle companies, EC technology has applications in construction, consumer electronics, and other fields. Guangyi Technology hopes to promote building products in Hong Kong starting in 2025. The Environment and Ecology Bureau pointed out last year that 90% of Hong Kong's electricity is used for buildings, and over 50% of carbon emissions come from electricity production related to building energy consumption. Duan Yu noted that after a simulation test conducted by a research institution in Beijing, it was found that using EC technology could save 30% to 40% of energy consumption in building products, including savings in air conditioning and indoor lighting consumption. Therefore, he stated that there is a demand for building products in Hong Kong, and the price sensitivity of the construction market in Hong Kong is not as high as that in the mainland. For example, if a thin film is added to a piece of glass costing over a hundred dollars, it would be a significant addition; however, if it is added to a building that already costs tens of thousands due to high energy-saving and emission reduction requirements, it would not represent a high price increment. However, applications are currently limited, only used in some government zero-carbon projects, because while car manufacturers can standardize production, each building in the construction industry has different requirements, leading to high costs and difficulties in mass production