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Halogen gas inside the glass bulb makes the filament glow even brighter. The bulbs use a wire filament with an electric charge passed through to produce light. The tech used to brighten these bulbs is like incandescent bulbs used in a house. It is still the factory default for most vehicle lines. Like halogens, they also do not last very long which means a greater cost of ownership over time.įour out of five automobiles on the road still use halogen technology for headlights. They are more expensive to purchase than halogens. One of the drawbacks when using HID headlights is the cost. They are more energy-efficient than halogens too. Xenon HID bulbs are twice as bright as their halogen counterparts and slightly dimmer than the LED variant. The xenon bulbs produce the brightest light and are the most common in car headlights. The ionized gas used may be mercury, sodium, metal halide, or xenon. However, neon gas is not used in these bulbs. Think of HID headlights like a neon light on a building. Ionized gas inside the glass bulb glows to produce the bright light these bulbs are known for. High-intensity discharge (HID) bulbs produce light by passing an electric current between two electrodes. Still, their durability and efficiency make the greatest positives for car manufacturers and owners switching to this top-of-the-line technology. LEDs are more expensive than halogen or HID lights. The largest disadvantage of LED technology is the price tag. Neither do they lose brightness over time. There is no fragile filament that can break. They feature brighter output than the standard, use less energy, and last for decades.Įlectricity from the vehicle is passed through light-emitting diodes to efficiently produce light with little wasted as thermal heat. LED headlights are the newest tech on the street. Let's summarize these three illumination methods and highlight their advantages and disadvantages to better understand where the auto industry is headed. This will help to illustrate the types of technology that are being used by automakers today. Light-emitting diode lamps and high-intensity discharge bulbs make up the newer iterations of lights that are starting to overtake the industry.Īs we begin our discussion, relate the different kinds of headlights to other lightbulb technologies - incandescent bulbs, neon lights, and LED lights. Halogen lamps are the most mature technology. When we discuss modern headlamps, they fall into three main categories. They also act as a safety feature so that other motorists can see your vehicle. They can show obstacles on the road at night or in low-visibility environments like rain and fog. The beams of a car's headlights light the path ahead. And with good reason: headlights represent one of the most important features of the modern automobile. Headlights have come a long way from candlelight lamps hanging on motorized carriages.