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BMW Explains the Development of Laser Lights

With the new i8, BMW wrote yet another page not only in its own books but also on a global scale, becoming the first company to put laser headlights into production, beating both Audi and Mercedes-Benz, its usual rivals.
BMW i8 headlights 1 photo
Photo: Screenshot from Youtube
However, the laser headlights the Bavarians have been boasting with for quite a while now are not exactly what you believe. The technology does exist on the plug-in hybrid sports car but it’s not standard and it’s not used on low beam either.

Instead, the engineers opted for a hybrid system that uses both LED devices and lasers. Therefore, low beams will be using LED technology (a standard feature on all i8 models and several ‘regular’ Bimmers) while for the high beams lasers will kick in.

Seeing the previous episodes posted online were a success, explaining to the unknowing exactly how the i3 and i8 were brought to life, the BMW Group decided to continue its series, now focusing on other elements, the first one being lighting.

Various officials took up the challenge to step in front of the camera and explain the tech, including Stefan Weber, Project Manager for BMW Laserlight, Thomas Hausmann, Head of Functions and Predevelopment Lighting and Abdelmalek Hanafi, Senior Optical System Developer and Co-Inventor of Laser-lighing at BMW.

The advantages of Laserlight are obvious from any standpoint. Compared to LED devices they are even more economical, have a far better range and offer a more natural spectrum than its predecessors and xenon devices. On top of all those, the diodes used in its production are both smaller and lighter, making the overall weight of cars using them lower. We’ll let the experts explain everything else.

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