LED driving lights are something that the auto industry has been interested in and working with since the early 2000s. There are some big advantages to using LED lights. When you mention LED lights, most people may not realize how often they rely on LED lights. They have been in use in the electronics world for any number of years. They have huge advantages due to their size, their efficiency, and their long lasting life. Any tiny light that you see on an appliance, DVD player, TV, or anything, is most likely an LED. They work different from other lightbulbs. They may not be able to compete in levels of brightness all the time, but they certainly last longer than a halogen bulb which is the lightbulb most people think of when talking about lights.
Let's learn more about how a halogen bulb works so we can understand the difference. Halogen bulbs are a simple design that still harks back to the inventions of Edison. You create a vacuum inside of a bulb of glass. A vacuum is a space where there is no air present. There can be no air because you don't want the filament to burn up. The filament is a tiny piece of metal that loops through the bulb. This filament is a conductor of electricity. When enough electricity pumps through it, the filament begins to glow. If there is any air present it will catch fire and instantly burn out. Hence the need for a vacuum. These halogen bulbs are useful because the level of electricity you pump into them will control how bright the light shines. This means that you can add a dimmer to a halogen bulb quite easily.
The disadvantages of a halogen bulb seem to be the exact opposite from an LED light. Halogen bulbs have a limited lifetime because of the filament that will inevitably burn out. That is why we find ourself replacing bulbs in our home all the time, and yet that little blinking light in your clock or on your computer will probably outlast the device itself.
LEDs don't have a filament. They are tiny bulbs that rely on the movements of electrons to generate light. They are similar to a transistor. They don't generate any heat (heat is energy lost no matter how you look at it.) That is what makes LED lights so efficient. They can be made super small and fit into a circuit board quite easily. in fact, it's the same LED technology that is leading to even thinner TVs.
So how are LED driving lights being used in the auto industry world? Many of the top end cars are using LED lights. Though they are definitely not the standard at this point. Most cars have halogen bulbs, but many are looking to LED lights for their efficiency. They don't require as much electricity to function. You can have a device run an LED bulb on a very small amount of electricity for a very long time.
LED lights can be small and they don't generate heat which is always a plus. Their size makes them easier to fit into all sorts of places and spaces. This is great in the auto industry that is always looking to conserve space where possible. Now, currently they don't use LED driving lights as the main headlights because they just aren't as bright as halogen, but where LED driving lights are performing really well is for turning signals, break lights, and all the little lights on the car that aren't meant to cast a beam, but to signal to other drivers.
