From the autumn of 2014, BMW will be the first manufacturer worldwide to offer a production vehicle equipped with headlamps featuring a completely new laser light concept. With this laser light technology, which was first presented at the 2011 Frankfurt International Motor Show, the BMW i8 (fuel consumption combined: 2.1-0.0 l/100 km; CO2 emissions combined: 49–0 g/km) is not only making automotive history as a plug-in hybrid sports car, but also as the first production vehicle to incorporate the totally new laser light technology.
Whilst the basic version of the BMW i8 is equipped with high-intensity, energy-efficient full LED headlamps, the optional laser boost feature additionally ensures a high beam range of up to 600 metres. This means that the already high illumination range of the modern LED high beam is doubled. Thanks to the new laser technology, it is possible to increase energy efficiency by a further 30 percent compared to already highly power-saving LED light.
In addition to lowering power requirement, BMW Laser Light illuminates the road ahead with a significantly higher light intensity without heating up the surrounding area. Laser diodes are ten times smaller than conventional light diodes. They help to save not only available installation space inside the headlamp, but also weight. The size of the reflector surface can be reduced by a factor of up to ten vs. LED light. The height of the reflector has now been reduced from the previous 9 cm to less than 3 cm.
The light of a laser headlamp is extremely bright, similar to daylight, which is perceived by the human eye as pleasant. Several high-performance diodes emit a strongly bundled beam via special lenses onto a fluorescent phosphorus substance inside the headlamp. This substance transforms the beam into an exceptionally bright white light that is ten times more intensive than conventional light sources. Due to their highly intensive and virtually ideal beam properties, laser diodes render the overall system even more efficient. In conjunction with the camera-aided digital high-beam assistant, dazzling of oncoming traffic or vehicles ahead is reliably eliminated.
