New Ford F-150 – First Truck to Offer Tougher, Brighter, More Efficient LED Headlamps
18 Marzo 2014 - 1:00PM
Business Wire
- Segment-first LED headlamps available
for all-new Ford F-150 will last more than five times longer than
conventional bulbs
- Use of LED technology in F-150
headlamps picks up on lighting trends in smartphones, tablet
computers and TVs
- Ford engineers subject LED headlamps to
extreme heat and saltwater baths, and pummel with rocks, rock salt
and ice to prove lamp toughness
When the assignment is to reinvent the Ford F-150 while
maintaining its heritage of being Built Ford Tough, even the
headlamps matter.
Ford lighting expert John Teodecki claims
the new LED headlamp available for the 2015 Ford F-150 is so tough
that he can stand on it. ''We fire stones at it, expose it to
extreme sun, soak it in saltwater, shoot rocks, rock salt and ice
at it - nothing cracks this thing,'' he said. The new lights last
five times as long as the ones they replace. (Photo: Business
Wire)
Until now, headlamps often needed to be replaced long before the
end of a vehicle’s life. For the all-new 2015 Ford F-150, Ford
wanted durable headlamps that would last as long, or longer, than
the truck. Ford lighting expert John Teodecki and his team found
the answer in technology they believe could change truck lighting
forever – light-emitting diodes, or LEDs.
No other light-duty pickup truck on the road today has LED
headlamps. LED lamps use 63 percent less energy than the halogen
bulbs seen in competitor trucks, and the light quality and
aesthetics of the technology are superior, Teodecki explained. Most
important, the LED headlamps in the new F-150 are more durable than
conventional lights, and are made to last more than five times
longer.
“Stand on it,” Teodecki said, perched atop an 11-pound F-150
headlamp unit. “This lens just won’t break. We fire stones at it,
expose it to extreme sun, soak it in saltwater, shoot rocks, rock
salt and ice – this thing is very tough to crack.”
LED is the fastest-growing segment in lighting technology,
according to trade magazine LED Inside. Applications include
smartphones, tablets,computers,TVs, luxury sedans, industrial,
commercial and outdoor lighting. Even supermarkets incorporate LED
lighting to make produce look fresher.
What sets F-150 LED technology apart is how the headlamps are
made, and how superior they are from what the industry has
traditionally used. To develop this cutting-edge headlamp
technology, Ford leveraged the expertise of its longtime lighting
developers OSRAM and Flex-N-Gate, creating 30 jobs in facilities in
Hillsboro, N.H. and Sandusky, Ohio respectively.
Halogen bulbs have been in use for most vehicle applications for
years. The design is similar to standard household light bulbs.
Thin filaments inside the bulb last for about 40,000 miles before
needing to be replaced. Extreme temperatures and vibration from
washboard roads can shorten the life of halogen filaments even
further.
The next step up from halogen is high-intensity discharge
headlamps. HID light illuminates the road more uniformly than
halogen bulbs. Ford offers this type of lighting on many of its
vehicles, including the current model F-150.
With the LED lighting system available for the new F-150, Ford
lighting experts had more freedom with the lamp design, because
LEDs are smaller than typical headlamps and are easier to
package.
The new Ford F-150 LED headlamp unit uses semiconductor chips to
control the light. The technology is much simpler than halogen or
HID, which helps make LED lights more durable and therefore
longer-lasting.
Ford designers created a unique lens for the F-150 LED headlamp
with special machines that carve out 16 precision optical surfaces
and 80 facets on the lens face to spread the light evenly. The
innovative design magnifies the light, allowing Ford to better
illuminate the road for the new F-150 driver using just a single
LED per lamp.
Teodecki, a University of Michigan graduate with 29 years’
experience in automotive lighting, puts on a white glove to handle
the fine lens – much like a jewelry expert would before showcasing
an expensive ring or pendant.
“We don’t want to get fingerprints on the surface, because that
would change the lens’ ability to spread the light evenly,”
Teodecki said.
The crowning touch for the lighting on the all-new F-150 is
another first for the auto industry. Ford designers outlined the
LED headlamp with a thin LED tube to create a signature appearance
for the new truck that can be spotted from great distances at
night.
“Remember the craze in the 1980s with truck light bars?”
Teodecki said. “It looks so cool. I’m telling you, this LED light
tube is going to be the next big thing. Our new F-150 owners will
be longing for dusk every day, just to show off their trucks in
dramatic lighting.”
About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in
Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six
continents. With about 181,000 employees and 65 plants worldwide,
the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The
company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit
Company. For more information regarding Ford and its products
worldwide, please visit corporate.ford.com.
For news releases, related materials and
high-resolution photos and video, visit www.media.ford.com.
www.facebook.com/ford
www.twitter.com/ford
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available:
http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20140318005395/en/
Ford Motor CompanyMike
Levine313.323.6854mlevine5@ford.comorScott
Fosgard313.323.7189sfosgard@ford.com
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