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BMW Working On Laser Headlamps

Posted by samzenpus on from the hot-high-beams dept.

MrSeb writes "LED headlamps are only just trickling onto the market — mostly on high-end cars — but now it seems a certain German automaker has plans for laser headlamps. 'Laser light is the next logical step in car light development ... for series production within a few years in the BMW i8 plug-in hybrid,' says BMW. Lasers have the potential to be simultaneously more powerful, more efficient, and smaller than other headlamp types. Before you get too excited, though: the output of laser headlights will be modulated for safety."

3 of 330 comments (clear)

  1. Ah wonderful by Osgeld · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Its not like the HID lamps fucking blind you enough as it is, we need LASERS! so we can be blinded up to 2 miles away

    1. Re:Ah wonderful by barlevg · · Score: 3, Insightful

      They can say all they like that they'll be "modulated for safety," but the truth is that THIS GENERATION of LED headlights are too bright. My car is low to the ground, and I don't have the best of night vision, so on more than a few many a dark, rainy nights, I've been nearly blinded by the LED headlights of the SUV behind me to the point that it took several such incidents for me to realize these assholes didn't just have their high-beams on.

  2. Re:Yeah thanks..... by Fnord666 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    And as they stated, the LEDs are bright enough.. WTF we need lasers?

    Among other things, laser light is a lot more energy efficient. According to the article, BMW is getting 170 lumens per watt as compared to 100 lumens per watt for LED lights.

    --
    'The tyrant will always find pretext for his tyranny.' - Aesop's Fables