Key Takeaways
- BMW is phasing out laser lighting for LEDs due to the latter’s improved performance and cost-effectiveness.
- Exceptional headlight brilliance is pointless without adaptive lighting systems.
- Headlight installation misalignment, oversized vehicles, and outdated certification processes contribute to headlight glare on American roads.
BMW was the first to officially introduce laser light technology on the BMW i8, beating the Audi R8 to the punch in 2014. But now the Bavarian automaker appears to be going backward by focusing on older LED technology. BMW Laserlight technology enables a greater throw of light, smaller headlight units, and less heat generation, and is currently available in America on the BMW X7 and 4 Series Gran Coupe, but BMW representative Andreas Suhrer told CarSales that future Bimmers likely won’t benefit from the technology, although this could change:
“At the moment, we still have laser lighting on the G26 [4 Series Gran Coupe] and the [G07] X7, but we don’t have future plans. The G60 and G61 [5 Series and 5 Series Touring] do not have it and the new 7 Series does not have it. I don’t think it’s completely done, but for the next models we are making, the LED Matrix lights will be our focus. The laser lights are pretty good with absolute range, but the latest generation of Matrix LED lights does a better distribution.”
– Andreas Suhrer, BMW Product Manager.
Is Laserlight Pointless? In The US, Yes
For the record, Audi also still offers laser lighting on some of its vehicles, but as with BMW’s applications, the laser system is combined with LED technology, as Suhrer explains: “Matrix LEDs and lasers [were fitted] together on the predecessor cars, but the LEDs are getting better in performance with distribution, and they are getting closer to the range of lasers.” If more mainstream LED technology is improving to similar levels as laser systems, it makes sense to save money on the more mass-market option, but cost isn’t the only reason.
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The NHTSA lifted its ban on adaptive headlight systems in 2022, but the regulations around the technology are so strict that automakers typically won’t even bother offering it here. For example, the Audi Q8 e-tron gets adaptive lighting technology in Europe, but not in America. Similar reasoning has impeded BMW’s use of advanced lighting systems. “There are some markets – like the US – where we could not use the most performance from the lasers,” said Suhrer.
Why Are Headlights So Bright?
Three main factors contribute to blinding light from oncoming motorists: alignment, vehicle size, and coloring. The first is the most common; while automakers are evaluated by safety agencies based on what the headlight unit is capable of, certification of the component happens before installation in a vehicle, which means that a simple untightened screw could be the cause of a dazzling beam of light. Another issue is society’s ever-growing love for ever-larger vehicles; the larger the vehicle, the higher the headlights are usually placed. Split headlights like those on the latest-generation BMW 7 Series may help, but on the taller X7, there’s still a chance you’ll be dazzled.
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Americans Will Have To Wait Years For Blinding Headlight Solution
There are three main issues.
Finally, outdated equipment used to test candela (a measure of candlepower, or light intensity) does not detect the blue hue that human eyes can, meaning that a lighting system could pass a test in a laboratory and still dazzle motorists. Unfortunately, until adaptive headlights are freed from America’s stringent regulations, the overly bright headlight trend will likely continue – just with LED technology instead of lasers. BMW will have to make waves with other innovations, like an external Interaction Bar…
As for the rivalry with Audi, the four-ringed brand still sells laser high beam technology in models like the Q8 e-tron, and without any indication it plans to give up on this tech, it seems Audi may have won the laser war, even if it didn’t draw first blood.
Source:
CarSales