Headlights are a very crucial part of the car when you have to drive during the nighttime. They light up the road ahead so that the driver can see what is in front of him. The headlamps also warn the driver about the oncoming traffic. The technology has taken leaps in the headlamp types. Earlier, cars used to use Carbide lamps whereas now some expensive cars are using Lasers for their headlamps. Here are five types of headlamps that most manufacturers use.
Halogen
Halogen headlamps are most widely used across the world. They are fairly simple as they use a glass capsule filled with halogen gas and tungsten filament. When the headlamps are turned on, electricity is passed through the tungsten filament, this causes heat and the filament starts to glow. Because of this, the halogen headlamps have a yellow light. The halogen gas inside the bulb is heat resistant and halogen headlamps waste a lot of energy as heat.
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HID or Xenon
Xenon or HID headlamps stands for High-intensity discharge. They are very similar to CFL or Compact fluorescent lights that we used to use in our homes. They do not have any filaments in them. Instead, the free space is filled with xenon gas. High Voltage is passed through two electrodes and the gas starts glowing. The downside to HID headlamps is that it takes some time for the gas to heat and reach its full brightness. Because of this, the HID headlamps are often used with some other type of headlamps and they are not used for high beams. Usually, HIDs have a bluish-white light.
LED
LEDs or Light Emitting Diodes are simpler than other types of headlamps. They work simply by flowing electricity through light-emitting diodes. LEDs do not require any heat and they are very energy efficient also. LEDs can be used to make various shapes because of which they are used for making Daytime Running Lamps.
Matrix
Matrix lights are also known as Adaptive LED headlights. There are many individual LEDs that light up the road. A camera is mounted in front of the car that monitors the oncoming traffic. When a car coming from in front is spotted, the computer turns an individual LED off so the oncoming traffic is not dazzled. So, the driver does not need to switch to low beam when there is oncoming traffic as the computer controls the headlamps automatically.
Lasers
Lasers are the most expensive and advanced types of headlamps. They are the best in class headlamps available in the market. Laser lights use lasers to make gas glow. They are usually offered from the factory or as an optional extra. They also cost a lot because of which the prices of the cost of car is increased significantly. Laser lights can illuminate 600 metres of the road ahead and they are used usually on high-end variants.
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