LED Bulbs are the Future

The old and faithful incandescent light bulbs are being forced out of automotive lighting, to be replaced by LED lights. LED is short for Light Emitting Diodes. This is a form of transistor, doped with a substrate that emits light when current is applied. The LEDs have a number of advantages over incandescent lighting that are very attractive for automotive use:

1. They are very insensitive to vibrations

2. They last for the life of the vehicle (does not apply to headlight LEDs yet)

3. They can be baked into moisture proof casings to be installed in all kinds of harsh environments

4. They light up much quicker than incandescent bulbs

5. They are extremely compact

6. They can be made to emit different colours

7. They run cool

8. They give more light per supplied watt than incandescent light bulbs

There is now LED lighting technology available for every conventional automotive lighting purpose. The LEDs are also creating new light features for automotive purposes, as the LEDs can be installed in ways and in locations that are impossible with incandescent and fluorescent lighting. The first automotive use of LEDs was on the 1984 Corvette, which had a LED centre high mount stop lamp. 

The LEDs are better for stop lamps than anything else, as they light up instantaneously. This gives the drivers behind more time to react to avoid an accident if a car makes a sudden stop. It might seem insignificant that a LED lights up 0.2 seconds faster than an incandescent bulb, but at 75 mph this translates to 21' extra braking distance for the cars behind. This can literally make the difference between life and death. Changing from incandescent light bulbs to LEDs in the brake light thus is not only a question of styling. It is also an important safety measure.  

LED brake lights are more or less standard on modern cars. The LEDs also make for development of better brake lights. Some cars now have brake lights that become brighter with increased pressure in the braking system, or LEDs that start flashing rapidly when the car is braking really hard. This gives the drivers behind even better warnings, helping them to avoid accidents.

 

Car Safety: 100 Years of Technology [Infographic]

From the initial model of automotive vehicle to the well-oiled gear of nowadays, the automobile has a famous history of progression and reinvention. This infographic, created by Auto LED Shop, highlights the amazing history of car technology.

LED Bulbs

It is quite amazing to think about how far technology has come in the last decade alone, our lives are constantly being enhanced by the development of technology. Even something as simple as a light bulb has undergone dramatic changes over the last ten years, as incandescent bulbs have slowly begun to fade under the brilliance of LED’s rays. 

Long gone are the days when two or three LED bulbs would burn-out on a car spoiler, and even the simplest single diode bulb lasts considerably longer and burns far brighter than its predecessors from just a few years ago. Everything from our televisions to our street lights are LED illuminated, and from the looks of things, more and more cars are going to be sporting massive LED-filled headlamps as this technology continues to trend. LED headlamps are getting better and more cars are getting them as industry finds its feet with the technology. According to Motor Trend, you'll notice several important differences in light produced by LEDs, Xenon and Halogen headlights. 

LEDs have the coolest colour temperature at around 6,000 Kelvin, which makes them appear whiter than daylight. Xenon headlights come in at around 4,500 K, while halogens round out the list at a yellowish 3,200 K. When it comes to reflection, LEDs offer better light return from road signs, while Xenon lamps better illuminate the sides of the road. In part, this is because Xenon lamps typically produce more light, measured in lumens, than LEDs. Both LEDs and Xenon provide a large pattern of light on the road, whereas Halogens offer a small pool of yellow light directly in front of the vehicle. If you're buying a new car, expect LED headlights to be the premium option. With reflectors and LEDs, you can create totally different styles, there is an obvious distinction between LED bulbs and others and for one its colour and brightness is much sharper and alternatively more effective. LED projector headlamps look similar to any other projector, like a Xenon projector, it is just a 60mm lens. You can style the lens, with LEDs you can do a rectangular lens, but they are still just lenses.