Did you know that the world’s first electric headlamp was invented by the Connecticut, USA-based Electric Vehicle Company and was powered by an electric automobile in the year 1898? Since then, there have been significant improvements in the type of headlights as well as their functionality.
If you’re driving at night and see a pair of blurry yellow headlights approaching from the opposite direction of the road, chances are you’ve come across an old classic. These headlights employ century-old tungsten filament technology that is used less frequently by today’s automakers.
If you see a bright blue/white headlight coming your way, it’s likely coming from a luxury Mercedes or BMW speeding by. These vehicles come equipped from the factory with HID or High Intensity Discharge lamps or better known as Xenon lights. Xenon headlights are known to shine brighter than conventional headlights given the same voltage/wattage draw and therefore popularity.
It is obvious that bright blue/white light gives the driver better visibility while on the road and headlamp manufacturers have been quick to recognize the growing demand for this type of headlamp. Many motorists have converted their headlights by switching to xenon bulbs that can be easily self-installed. There are many brands and brands available in the market today by simply browsing through the Internet.
Before you decide to change, first check your existing headlights. If your car is equipped with the original headlights, the first thing to find out is if you are using separate bulbs for your low beam and high beam. There are also cars that use a single bulb for both low beam and high beam. A single bulb that can perform the low beam and high beam function has two filaments inside the bulb. When you turn on your headlight, the low beam filament will always stay on and will continue to be on even after the high beam is turned on. Headlights that use a single bulb with two filaments are easily recognized when you pull them out because they have a 3-pin connection.
On the other hand, a headlight that uses a separate high beam bulb has a single pin connection, while its low beam counterpart has a two pin connection.
Next, check the OEM specification because there are other bulb manufacturers that do not meet the above pin connection specification. However, you will find that almost 90% of automotive bulb manufacturers comply with the above pin specification.
Before the popularity of HID, many cars switched from traditional tungsten bulbs to halogen bulbs. Although the functionality remains the same, Halogen emits white light using a thinner filament. The advantage of the thinner filament is that it emits a brighter light. However, with a thinner filament, it tends to burn out easily and to overcome this problem, manufacturers have been able to increase its life by incorporating halogen gas within the filament, hence the name halogen bulb.
Continued development in headlight technology has always focused on brighter, longer-lasting bulbs that use the least amount of energy. The brightest bulb is not always the most useful because it produces a glare that can temporarily blind drivers approaching from the opposite direction of the road. The popularity of HID bulbs was due to their brightness and the attractive blue/white light they produced. It is said to burn 3 times brighter and 10 times longer than a halogen bulb. However, be sure to spend more on HID bulbs if you intend to invest in such headlights.
The latest headlight technology focuses on LED bulbs, or Light Emitting Diodes. The advantage of LEDs over other existing bulbs is the much longer lifespan and durability. Its small size offers headlamp designers greater flexibility. It is well documented that many of the LEDs produced in the 1970s and 1980s are still in use today. The use of LEDs for taillights, brake lights, and interior lighting has been quite common, but limited for headlights due to the high cost factor of producing it to match the color of natural daylight.