The new #BMW #i8 laser headlights


Updated April 26, 2015 ● 2,277 views
The new #BMW #i8 laser headlights
BMW i8 laser headlights

So long LED headlights, automakers are looking ahead to even more powerful beams using lasers. 

BMW has started producing laser headlights as an optional feature for its new plug-in i8 hybrid. It is expected to go on sale in Europe this summer. The lights are more energy-efficient, and some researchers say laser light technology is the next step in lighting after LEDs.

The optional high-beam headlights with laser light technology includes a typical BMW i U-shaped frame, from which the running lights and the built-in indicators are operated. A second, wide light frame surrounds the innovative laser light unit and emphasises its three-dimensionality. A passively lit blue band signalises the lighting unit’s innovative technology. In the equipment with laser light, the headlights have a brilliant metallic side cover rather than a dark one. The overall impression of the light concept is unmistakeably BMW i8.

 

A highly intensive and efficient form of light.

In addition to lowering power requirement, BMW Laser Light illuminates the road ahead with a significantly higher light intensity without heating up the surrounding area. Laser diodes are ten times smaller than conventional light diodes. They help to save not only available installation space inside the headlamp, but also weight. The size of the reflector surface can be reduced by a factor of up to ten vs. LED light. The height of the reflector has now been reduced from the previous 9 cm to less than 3 cm. The light of a laser headlamp is extremely bright, similar to daylight, which is perceived by the human eye as pleasant. Several high-performance diodes emit a strongly bundled beam via special lenses onto a fluorescent phosphorus substance inside the headlamp. This substance transforms the beam into an exceptionally bright white light that is ten times more intensive than conventional light sources. Due to their highly intensive and virtually ideal beam properties, laser diodes render the overall system even more efficient. In conjunction with the camera-aided digital high-beam assistant, dazzling of oncoming traffic or vehicles ahead is reliably eliminated.

The BMW i8 is the future of the sports car, laser light the future of automotive light technology. And the same applies to both: High performance coupled with a high level of efficiency.

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