As a car enthusiast, I’ve noticed a trend in modern vehicles, particularly in brands like Honda, that I find somewhat concerning: the prevalent use of cool white LED headlights. While LED technology offers numerous advantages in terms of energy efficiency and longevity, the specific implementation in many cars leaves something to be desired, especially when it comes to driver comfort and road safety.
My newer Honda, for instance, likely utilizes LEDs in the 6500K range. On one hand, the color rendering isn’t terrible; reds and browns aren’t completely washed out, suggesting a reasonable Color Rendering Index (CRI), perhaps around 80. However, the harsh, cool white light can be fatiguing, especially during long drives. While I can personally tolerate the cool white within my own vehicle when using low beams, the high beams are another story. They are so intensely bright that even the reflection off road signs becomes distracting and unpleasant.
The real issue arises in situations with oncoming traffic. Whenever my car crests even a small hill, the upper cutoff of the low beam lights seems to project directly into the eyes of drivers in the opposite lane. This creates a significant glare issue, potentially compromising the safety and comfort of other motorists on the road. This experience makes me acutely aware of the need for better designed and calibrated Led Car lighting systems.
Ideally, I would explore swapping the existing LED emitters in my headlights for higher quality alternatives. Perhaps emitters with a warmer white temperature and a higher CRI would offer a more comfortable and less glaring light output. However, the challenge lies in the often non-maintainable design philosophy of manufacturers like Honda. Their focus on reliability seems to overshadow considerations for ease of repair or modification. Just accessing the LED emitters would likely require a significant time investment, potentially consuming an entire weekend just to remove the headlight assembly, disassemble it to identify the LEDs, and then re-install everything to keep the car operational while sourcing replacement emitters.
Considering this difficulty, purchasing spare headlight assemblies to work on in advance seemed like a viable solution. However, the exorbitant price tag of over $1000 per headlight unit makes this approach prohibitively expensive. This cost barrier further complicates the process of upgrading led car lights for improved performance and aesthetics.
It’s important to remember that while a full vehicle redesign might follow a 7-year cycle, manufacturers are capable of making component-level changes much more rapidly. In my experience in industrial vehicle engineering, component qualification, including design, prototyping, testing, and sourcing, typically takes between 6 to 18 months. Replacing the LED emitters in headlights, a relatively self-contained system, should fall well within this timeframe.
The real bottleneck, therefore, isn’t necessarily technical feasibility, but rather the manufacturer’s willingness to prioritize such improvements. If there isn’t a perceived demand or understanding of the benefits of neutral or warm white LEDs with high CRI in led car lighting among decision-makers, these changes are unlikely to materialize.
Regulations regarding on-road lighting do exist. While auxiliary light bars might be legal to install, their on-road use is often prohibited. This highlights the importance of ensuring that factory-installed led car lighting systems are optimized for both performance and compliance, minimizing glare and maximizing visibility without causing discomfort to other drivers.
Thinking about specific applications, consider professions like forestry or logging, where workers operate in environments rich in browns, yellows, and reds, especially during seasonal foliage changes. In such scenarios, high CRI led car lighting would be particularly beneficial, enhancing color distinction and improving visibility in complex visual environments. This underscores the broader need for manufacturers to consider diverse user needs and environmental factors when designing led car lighting systems.
