LED have been extended to many lighting applications, including automobiles. LED automotive lighting is becoming more and more popular, and converting halogen lamps to LEDs will help automakers improve nighttime visibility, said Steve Lietaert, president of Hella Corporation.

Lietaert also said that LED automotive lighting enables automakers to incorporate some exciting and unique features into their cars while also saving a lot of valuable energy.

LED can promote lighting advancements that include the ability to project light in the forward direction directly onto the road ahead; it can reduce glare to drivers oncoming vehicles, and even allow the car to change color to help other drivers see it better.

Power acceleration

Lietaert believes that LED replacement halogen lamps are in progress and will accelerate at the end of next year. One of the main reasons is car power. Lietaert says a typical halogen headlight uses 55 watts of power to produce 350 lumens of light, while LED headlights use 17 watts to produce 600 lumens of light.

He predicts that by 2020, halogen lighting will disappear, mainly from the perspective of automotive engineers, because automotive engineers do not want to waste 55 watts on the headlights. This is a car's "right struggle." And as more and more electric vehicles appear, it is even more necessary to reduce the load.

In addition, he added that LEDs have had a good impact in the car. Automakers now use LED interior lighting, allowing customers to change the color of the interior lighting as they wish. In addition, research and development is currently underway to improve the audible warnings with interior lighting to alert drivers of possible hazards.

Safety aspect

According to Lietaert, LED-based headlamps have great potential to improve the safety of cars by improving night vision. For example, Mercedes-Benz E-Class headlights use 84 LED beads that can be turned on and off individually to reduce glare to eliminate oncoming vehicles.

He also said that LED-based headlamps have a larger range of illumination. LEDs are also extremely durable compared to conventional light sources.