Lighting revolution in cars: interview with OSRAM´s automotive experte Richard Lothholz

The development of lighting technology in cars was relatively slow between the era of petroleum and the era of xenon. It seems now all of a sudden that it is coming on in leaps and bounds (LED, Matrix LED and laser). Are there from your point of view any technical and/or economic reasons for this?

First of all, you should know that LED and technologies which are related to this such as OLED or laser are in fact taking over the field of lighting as a whole – so LED is not a purely automotive phenomenon. Despite this, LED-based technologies do have special strengths due to which they are predestined for use in cars. First of all: LED light is extremely controllable. So like Matrix lights, you can illuminate individual areas in a very targeted manner, or not as the case may be, if for example you want to avoid dazzling oncoming traffic. Secondly: the colour of LED light can be changed. That is especially important inside the vehicle. Thirdly: LED light is energy-efficient. This will be an important argument in electric cars where every kilometre of range and thus every watt of energy used counts. We have however been seeing continuous development over the years – LED headlights are nothing new, but are attracting broad interest at the moment. Xenon lighting is even nowadays still an attractive and sought-after optional extra for many drivers.

How do you assess the further development of the LED headlight with regards to the spread of its use in cars? Will LED completely replace xenon as the top option? Will LED headlights also become standard in the small and price-sensitive category in the future?

Cars as standard always have basic equipment and one or more upgrades for lighting as optional extras. Nowadays, the basic equipment usually comprises halogen lights and xenon as an optional extra. Xenon is already provided as basic equipment for certain cars. But we will certainly be seeing a significantly higher share of LED headlights as optional extras over the next few years – either as normal full LED headlights or as Matrix lights in the higher vehicle categories.