A common thing that might go unnoticed in many vehicles is the lighting options. Often, owners do not pay attention to the type of lights that their vehicle features. While many modern vehicles offer Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) from the factory, not all bulbs are LEDs. Most headlights are still halogen bulbs to keep costs down in the manufacturing process and the reliability of a halogen bulb is sufficient. Another option that can be seen in today’s vehicles is High-Intensity Discharge (HID) headlights.
How Does A Halogen Bulb Work?
A standard halogen bulb is similar to an incandescent light using a burning filament inside a sealed glass capsule with gasses trapped inside. Halogen bulbs go through what is called a halogen cycle which prevents the glass from becoming black over time. The halogen gas inside burns and clings to the glass then Tungsten from the outer glass attracts back to the filament which prolongs the life of the bulb.
What Is an HID Headlight?
An HID features some of the same methods as a neon sign to illuminate the two electrodes inside the bulb. Utilizing a ballast to moderate the voltage and wattage to the bulbs and depending on the Kelvin temperature of the bulb, you can achieve different color outputs. Due to the expense of HID’s they are not commonly seen in all modern vehicles, although the frequency of usage is becoming higher.
How Are LEDs The Future Of Lighting?
Alongside the introduction of HIDs, LEDs were incorporated into the automobile design in the early 1990s. Being that the new technology required less voltage and wattage, vehicle manufactures could focus on adding amenities to the vehicle to better improve the overall comfort along with better visibility at night. Not only utilized in exterior lighting, but LEDs are becoming a common interior light source as it illuminates much better than a standard halogen bulb.
Best Uses For LED
Off-roading is the number one proponent to using LEDs as they are an efficient light source that doesn’t require much to provide immense light. Commonly used within the UTV, Jeep, and other various off-roading communities LED is taking over the automotive lighting industry. On-road driving deserves an equal amount of attention towards the lighting.
