Glowing appeal: In car design, energy use, LEDs add 'cool factor'

Light Emitting Diodes (LED) are changing the face of autos, inside and out, designers and engineers say.

Once a beacon for the plush interiors of Lexus, Mercedes and Cadillac, LEDs have made their way into daily drivers such as the Ford Focus and Chevy Malibu, and certainly will make their way into more. Interior and exterior designers love the little light bulbs and are finding new ways to use them.

Recent advances in LED technology and continued price drops mean LEDs will play a more important role in future designs. Consumers will reap the benefits, finding more extravagant light shows inside future vehicles and flashier exteriors as the luxury lighting source goes mainstream.

Cadillac uses LEDs throughout the much-acclaimed CTS sedan, and announced in January that it would begin using the first headlight with LED high- and low-beams on the Escalade Platinum.

Audi AG, Volkswagen's premium brand, designed a line of LEDs into its R8 sports car. The feature cuts a bright line along the edge of the headlight, leaving a distinctive and recognizable look that was featured in the company's recent Super Bowl commercial. "The front of the car is its face, its most important part and the LEDs are a specific design feature we are taking advantage of," said Audi spokesman Wolfgang Hoffmann. "They are precise and look very high-tech."

The lights, which use less energy and space than traditional light bulbs, have opened up a whole new bag of tricks for designers.

Using a cluster of three bulbs - one red, one green and one blue - Ford has created seven colors available for the interior of some of its cars. The option has moved from the Mustang to a number of other Ford vehicles, including the Ford Focus.

Car manufacturers also like the LEDs because of their energy efficiencies. A typical taillight bulb uses 27 watts, while an LED uses only 3 watts. This helps the LED typically last 20 times longer than a traditional bulb.
 
Disclaimers of Warranties
1. The website does not warrant the following:
1.1 The services from the website meets your requirement;
1.2 The accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of the service;
1.3 The accuracy, reliability of conclusions drawn from using the service;
1.4 The accuracy, completeness, or timeliness, or security of any information that you download from the website
2. The services provided by the website is intended for your reference only. The website shall be not be responsible for investment decisions, damages, or other losses resulting from use of the website or the information contained therein<
Proprietary Rights
You may not reproduce, modify, create derivative works from, display, perform, publish, distribute, disseminate, broadcast or circulate to any third party, any materials contained on the services without the express prior written consent of the website or its legal owner.

Tokushima, Japan - 6 March 2024: Nichia, the world's largest LED manufacturer and inventor of the high-brightness blue and white LED, has started mass production of the new UV-B (308nm) and UV-A (330nm) LEDs in its popular 434 Series packa... READ MORE

New XLamp® S Line LEDs enhance growth, last longer, lower energy costs Horticulture and other forms of agricultural lighting require application-tuned ratios of spectral content, high efficacy and long lifetimes. Whether you are interested... READ MORE