By now you've heard of laser headlights. Popping up in non-luxury and luxury vehicles, they are the newest headlight tech taking the industry by storm. What are they? Here's our Woody Folsom Chevrolet Buick GMC team's brief introduction and explanation.
Building on the Past
Laser headlights borrow some of their technology from classic halogen headlights. Halogen bulbs create light when a tungsten filament and halogen gas inside of a small quartz case glow after electricity passes through the filament. The tungsten atoms break apart before the halogen combines with them and redeposits them back onto the filament. This lengthens the bulb's life and prevents bulb blackening.
Laser Headlights
Laser headlights contain lasers that beam light at mirrors in front of the headlight assembly. The mirrors focus the energy into a lens containing yellow phosphorus. The phosphorus glows bright white light that shines back onto a reflector. The reflector sends diffused white light forward, out of the headlight assembly and onto the road. Laser lasts a long time and takes less energy to work, making it a very viable, economic option for automakers and drivers.