Changing trends and technology in automotive headlamps and still we love the classic look.
Over the years we have seen the evolution of the headlamp from our personal favorite, ‘Round’ to what we find quite boring, ‘Square’ to ‘peanut shaped’ and then you have weird designs to go with daring car designs like ‘C’ shaped and ‘Boomerang’ shaped headlamps.
However, for us we still are drawn to round headlamps which is the design of choice of older cars and this is why our three old cars all have round headlamps and we still love seeing them in all kinds of classic and retro designed cars.
What is your favorite design?
Meanwhile, here below we share some interesting facts about the little respected automotive headlamp.
In 1898, the Hartford, Connecticut-based Electric Vehicle Company unveiled the world’s first electric headlamp. Alas, this new type of lamp was fraught with many of the same obstacles as its predecessor, namely, high operating costs and a lack of funding. The biggest problem with electric headlamps was the inner filament, which could singe rather quickly. Moreover, such lamps demanded electrical resources that cities couldn’t afford to develop during this period.
Fast forward to the modern car and the various types of headlamps available in the auto market.
The four common types of automotive headlight bulbs are halogen, LED, Xenon/HID, and Laser. Please note that the Malaysian road transport department (JPJ) has become very strict in the enforcement of ‘High Intensity Discharged’ (HID).
Headlights help you navigate the road at night and improve visibility in bad weather conditions. Suffice it to say, having properly functioning headlights is vital to your safety on the road. A broken or damaged headlight should be fixed as soon as possible to keep your vehicle both legal and safe.
The automotive industry is in a transformational stage in terms of lighting, with several new technologies coming to the fore which offer improved performance, safety and aesthetics.
Both the NHTSA and IIHS confirmed that headlamp performance will be factored into their overall ratings of new cars by 2019, with honors awarded to the most effective.
The cost of LEDs is far greater than that of traditional halogen and even HID headlamps. Increasing use of LED technology is bringing overall costs down, but further economic streamlining will be required to facilitate the transition from premium segment cars to mid-range vehicles.
LEDs are increasingly being used in automotive applications due to energy efficiency, weight reduction and space saving qualities. Focusing purely on the automotive LED market, LEDinside estimates that the global automotive LED market would reach a value of USD2.29 billion by 2020, translating into a CAGR of 8 percent from 2015 to 2020.
The research noted that the penetration of LED in the exterior lighting market stands at just 15 percent, and high/low beam LED headlamps could drive growth to 11 percent CAGR during the 2015-2020 period.
LEDinside’s research also provides an insight into the volumes of LED used in exterior lighting applications, with some 2.79 billion pieces used in production during 2015 – a figure set to grow to 3.67 billion pieces in 2020.
The LED volume used in headlights and position lights will grow by 15 percent CAGR from 2015 to 2020, with high/low beam LED headlights reaching a CAGR of 23 percent during the same timeframe.
