

Of course, that technology comes with a price: LED lights are often much more expensive than halogen or HID counterparts. Many units should still be working two decades after they roll off the showroom floor. Automotive engineers appreciate the efficiency of the technology and designers often implement LED lights as a way to enhance design elements of the vehicle. Today, LED lighting can be found in a much wider variety of vehicles, but is often available as an option. The limited initial application was due to the higher cost of the technology. Lexus and Audi were among the first manufacturers to use LED lighting. Many electric vehicles use LED lighting exclusively. LED lights are more efficient than the other two technologies, reducing wear on the alternator and requiring less fuel to operate. Most manufacturers use multiple LEDs of varying brightness to create a signature look. Efficient and powerful, a tiny LED light can emit the same amount of brightness as a halogen bulb. Unlike halogen and HID lamps, LEDs are semiconductors that emit light when powered by an electrical current. To be completely transparent, LEDs are a relatively new technology, so there’s still a lot left to learn. LEDs require additional electronics, heat dissipation devices, a driver, and potentially a purpose-built reflector bowl. However, if a vehicle currently uses halogens, it’s not a simple switchover. In theory, LED lights are compatible with reflector headlights. So what’s the next? Your car headlights, of course! In fact, you’ve probably upgraded all of the bulbs in your home, garden, and workspace. LED lights offer many benefits compared to the old ways of lighting, so of course there have been large markets sprung around this technology. The old lights of the world have been largely replaced with LEDs, and for cars this is no different.
