LI AUTO-W (02015.HK)  -0.300 (-0.454%)    Short selling $113.79M; Ratio 16.568%   's Head of Material R&D, Duan Jichao, recently disclosed the group's achievements in material R&D. To achieve new stainless steel materials with ultra-high strength, ultra-high formability, and ultra-strong corrosion resistance, the Li Auto team conducted hundreds of material formula designs and tests over a development cycle of nearly four years.

They smelted over 1,000 tons of steel, completed nearly a hundred trial stamping experiments, 180 corrosion cycles, and over 300 fuel tank assembly puncture and crash tests, and underwent durability and corrosion assessments on more than twenty sets of fuel tanks at the vehicle level.

In the end, Li Auto developed the ultra-high strength stainless steel fuel tank material, UFHS-X, which has a yield strength 100% higher than traditional 304L, and the manufactured fuel tank's puncture resistance improved by 52%. However, the development cost of this material was above RMB10 million, which is six times higher than using conventional 304 stainless steel for fuel tanks.
(HK stocks quote is delayed for at least 15 mins.Short Selling Data as at 2025-12-30 16:25.)