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Laser Headlights Promise More Intense, Controllable Beams

Posted by Soulskill on from the but-you-better-not-aim-your-car-at-planes dept.

cartechboy writes "Soon, your new car's headlights will be powered by lasers. The 2015 BMW i8 is entering production, and it's the first vehicle to offer laser headlights. These new beams offer a handful of advantages over LED lighting, including greater lighting intensity and extending the beams' reach as far as 600 meters down the road (nearly double the range of LEDs). The beam pattern also can be controlled very precisely. Plus, laser lights consumer about 30 percent less energy than the already-efficient LED lights. Audi is among the short list of other auto manufacturers to promise laser lights in the near future. But the coolest part of all this? When you turn on a set of these new headlights, you'll be able to scream, 'fire the lasers!'"

3 of 376 comments (clear)

  1. brighter? by lecoupdejarnac · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I can't be the only one who thinks that the headlights on certain luxury cars are already annoyingly bright to other drivers. Now we get to be blinded by lasers, great...

    Oh and beta sucks.

    1. Re:brighter? by Fusselwurm · · Score: 5, Interesting

      My take on it as well.

      There is a lights arms race on the streets. I wonder if we already passed the point of "more is safer".

    2. Re:brighter? by LoRdTAW · · Score: 4, Interesting

      This.
      The bright headlamp race has to stop. I drive on the highway daily for a total of a 50 mile(~80km) commute. I cant tell you the number of times I have been blinded by HID's and other overly bright headlamps. My coworker` even tinted the windows on his car...for night driving! Its that bad.

      You want my take? Idiotically bright headlamps are most always found on luxury vehicles. Its a way for the driver to tell everyone on the road "Look at me, I'm rich!" Automakers have no reason to justify such intense light other than entering into a pissing match with each other. You also have the tools who leave the high beams on because, why not they paid for them? And its next to impossible to drive in front of such an asshole with HID's.

      My thought: Fuck all of you luxury car makers and you're sick headlamp arms race. No one needs them - PERIOD.