OSRAM posted an interesting article which basically states that the next technological development for car lighting is OLEDs. As LEDs are already a standard in car lighting, the company is now developing OLEDs, whose major advantage (according to Osram) is that they provide "completely new options for the design of light and luminaires". The cars of the future, according to Osram will have both LED and OLED lighting sources.
Last year Osram presented OLEDs that were able to resist the high temperatures (at least 85 degree Celsius) required by the automobile industry. Back in 2012 those OLEDs resisted such high temperatures for several hundred hours, but the development continues and today the panel's high temperature resistance has been improved to several thousand hours. Now the company is tackling future use in commercial cars. This is great news but of course this will take time - "the automotive sector plans and develops its future models with very long lead times".
The Automobile market is attracting many OLED producers. A few weeks ago we reported about Audi's 3D OLEDs (developed by Philips and Merck), and in 2012 Astron Fiamm showed an updated Car.Bones prototype with OLED headlights, inside-lighting, turn indicators, and more. Osram themselves unveiled several prototype car OLED lighting devices in 2012, you can see the photos above and below.
OSRAM has been producing ORBEOS OLED lighting panels since 2010 (we posted a review on April 2010). Their second-gen panels (featuring 40 lm/W) were launched in April 2012. Those new panels are produced in the company's new pilot production line in Regensburg. A few weeks ago the German government launched a new 34 million Euro two years project called OLYMP that aims to improve OLED lighting efficiency and lifetime, and Osram is the coordinator of this project.
In January 2012 we posted an interview with Osram's OLED unit chief, Dr. Ulrich Eisele.
Not only Red OLED light will change car lights forthcoming years but also Orange light will as OLED light source be a big change on cars.
But not only on cars!
Just think of on truck trailers!
And as alarming signs for road works and Emergency vehicles!