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Headlamps are probably one of the most important things when it comes to driving during the night time. Needless to say that without them, it would become very difficult to drive during the night. Headlamps help in lighting the road ahead so that the driver can see what is coming from ahead. Nowadays, technology has developed quite a lot so there are different types of headlamps that vehicles are equipped with.
Halogen headlamps
Halogen headlamps are the most basic type of headlamps that are still being used in vehicles. The reason behind this is quite simple, they are cheap and does not require any complex technology. Hence, easy to use, fit and replace. The electricity is passed through the tungsten filament which generates heat and the filament inside the bulb starts to glow. Halogen headlamps have a yellow light and the energy is also wasted in the form of heat.
HID or Xenon
The second type of headlamp is Xenon, more commonly known as HIDs. They can be considered CFLs as they do not have a filament inside them. Instead, they have a free space that is filled with xenon gas. High voltage is passed through two electrodes, because of which the gas starts glowing. HIDs are more powerful than halogens but they take some time in heating up to reach their max brightness. Because of this, they are not used as primary high beam and are combined with a halogen or LED setup. The light throw from HIDs also has a blueish-white colour.
LEDs
LEDs are slowly making their way into vehicles. They consume less power and are the simplest way of headlamps. LED stands for Light Emitting Diodes. The electricity flows through the light-emitting diodes. They are very energy efficient and can be moulded into different shapes. Because of this, they are used as LED Daytime Running Lamps.
Matrix LEDs
The Matrix LEDs are an advanced version of the LEDs. They are a combination of LEDs that can continuously monitor the front traffic using a camera and block out the parts where the oncoming traffic is. Because of this, the driver of the oncoming traffic does not get blinded.
Laser lights
The Laser lights are found on premium vehicles and are very expensive. Because, they are so expensive, they are often offered as an optional extra or come straight fitted out from the factory. They work by using lasers to make the gas glow. They have the longest throw though. In fact, laser lights can light up to 600 metres.
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