LED headlamps

[malcolm]

Bit of an expensive option at the moment:

Audi going to full LED lighting on the R8 for just $5,600 - AutoblogGreen

Could be ideal for Roadster 2.0 and maybe Whitestar as well

 

[vfx]

Maybe they will put them in as a 2009 upgade in the Roadster.
Nice if they or some aftermarket Co. came up with a LED headlamp conversion kit.

 

[WarpedOne]

Does anyone know LED's power rating?

 

[SByer]

Which LEDs? Seriously, you can get up to 5W LEDs now. Lumens/W is at about 50-70 now. What's attractive for autos is more the smaller, more flexible form factor than for other lighting technologies. That, and the incredible, reliable lifetime.

 

[WarpedOne]

>> That, and the incredible, reliable lifetime.

I read this is only true as long as you manage to keep those LEDs cool - around 25 degrees celsius. If they "overheat" above 35 degrees their life span dramaticaly shortens from couple of years to couple of hours.

 

[malcolm]

Not so smart for daytime running lights, then.

 

[SByer]

Daytime running lights not so smart themselves ;-).

 

[WarpedOne]

>> Daytime running lights not so smart themselves ;-).

Daytime lightning conditions can vary a lot. Trouble is, if lights were not mandatory, a lot of people would not turn them on even when conditions are very very poor (storms, fog, ..).

Automatic sensor controlled lights would be ideal solution

 

[Albern]

Hey Guys,

I was intent on doing some further research and report my findings on LEDs. Without going into that for now here are my thoughts on what has been brought up thus far along with some other considerations:

- LEDs make perfect sense, especially in an EV application since it requires less energy to emit the same amount of lumens; I've even heard that LEDs can be even brighter than xenon lights
- Although LEDs are still expensive they are much cheaper than xenon lights; I'm surprised that the Roadster doesn't have them as standard since pretty much all luxury/sport vehicles have them. Correct me if I'm wrong but I heard that they also use less energy than halogens.
- Personally I like daytime running lights (DRLs) as a safety feature although I've come across some complaints ranging from glare to fuel consumption. Compared to not having DRLs, those that do have them are much more visible when looking up the road. My one concern with DRLs though is that I've begun to notice that automakers are really starting to aim them so high that they cause significant glare to other motorist's rear and side view mirrors.
- I don't know if anyone has noticed but automakers seem to be switching to red rear turn indicators as oppose to orange ones. I am aware that in North America rear lights can only be white, red, and orange. To me red should be reserved for the fog/parking and break lamps, while orange is strictly for turn indicators (and white obviously for reverse). People are going to get confused when they see a flashing red light that refers to a lane change while the driver ahead intends to slow down. This becomes more apparent when I always see people who are not aware that some of their exterior lights need to be replaced and we have a situation where if they break it can initially look like they are initiating a lane change.
- Automatic headlights are a neat feature but as far as I'm concerned, if you are the type of driver who needs to be reminded of when you should turn on your lights and thus rely on that feature we have a serious problem here.

 

[doug]

Ferrari Italia

 

[Norbert]

Which LEDs? Seriously, you can get up to 5W LEDs now. Lumens/W is at about 50-70 now. What's attractive for autos is more the smaller, more flexible form factor than for other lighting technologies. That, and the incredible, reliable lifetime.

Now at 111 Lumens/Watt (and, as far as i can tell, it should be usable for headlights):

CREE |Cree Raises the Bar for Lighting-Class LEDs with Commercial Availability of the XLamp XP-G LED

[Cree] announces the commercial availability of the XLamp® XP-G LED, the industry’s brightest and most efficient lighting-class LED. The XP-G LED can produce up to 367 lumens when driven at 1A, at a typical efficacy of 111 lumens per watt; making it 46 percent brighter and 64 percent more efficient than the highest-performance XR-E LED, with an 80 percent smaller footprint.

 

[Norbert]

Now at 111 Lumens/Watt (and, as far as i can tell, it should be usable for headlights):

CREE |Cree Raises the Bar for Lighting-Class LEDs with Commercial Availability of the XLamp XP-G LED

And , if one uses them at 200mA instead of at 1000mA (requiring, of course, 5 times as many), they seem to deliver about 150 Lumens/Watt.

(Which, according to some unverified 2006 info, is the then maximum for xenon lamps.)

See this (though I think non-professional) test at the bottom of:
CandlePowerForums - View Single Post - White LED lumen testing

 

[DrComputer]

I don't quite know what is taking Tesla (and other manufacturers) so long to adopt LED headlights? My Lexus LS600hl has them and my car is now over two years old.

 

[TEG]

2008 Audi A4:

I see them on Audis all the time now.

 

[TEG]

Audi A5:

 

[DrComputer]

In those examples, Audi is NOT using LED's for actually headlights, just pretty accent light. Lexus is using them for actual low-beam headlights in the LS600hL.

 

[TEG]

I think they are a bit more than "accent lights". They seem to be the "daytime running lights" that are always on. Other cars tend to run the regular lights at partial brightness to satisfy that requirement.

By the way, they do also have some full brightness LED headlights.
http://www.caranddriver.com/features/09q3/2010_audi_r8_led_headlights-tech_dept

 

[TEG]

From 2006:
LEDs Magazine - LED headlights available on Audi R8 from late 2007

...Audi says that its new Audi R8 mid-engined sports car will be the first series-production car to offer the option of ordering all the headlight functions – dipped beam, main beam, daytime running lights and indicators – as LEDs. The option will become available from the end of 2007 onwards...

 

[DrComputer]

Yes, the R8 does offer LED headlights as an option (and no, they were not the first, Lexus was). But the pictures above were not LED headlights.

 

[stopcrazypp]

From the Lexus brochure:

Led Headlights
The LS 600h L will be the world’s first vehicle to be equipped with LED headlights for nighttime and low-beam use.

http://www.lexus.com/hybridbrochure/ls_600h_l.html