News Article
Lumileds to Lead LED Market for Automotive Lighting
Frost & Sullivan says Philips Lumileds’ products offer more lumens per Watt at a lower thermal resistance than those of competing LED suppliers.
Based on its recent analysis of the automotive light-emitting diodes (LED) market, Philips Lumileds has been awarded “2010 Global Frost & Sullivan Award for Technology Innovation of the Year”.
LEDs offer enhanced functionality to vehicle owners when compared to halogen, high-intensity discharge, and incandescent lighting systems. One of the primary benefits is its unlimited service life.
Unlike a filament bulb, the consumer never replaces it, unless the vehicle is involved in a collision. But the most attractive feature of LEDs is the ability to change color and brightness, giving vehicle designers the flexibility to develop mood lighting systems as a value-added feature to the car.
According to Frost & Sullivan, only three companies in the world have the technological capacity to produce automotive-grade LEDs that meet the exacting needs of vehicle manufacturers and their lighting suppliers. The firm thinks, that Philips Lumileds has done the most to advance the development of LEDs for motorists and the global auto industry.
Lumileds has two main LED product lines for automotive lighting. The LUXEON line is designed for high-power headlamps and daytime running lights. Its SnapLED and SuperFlux lines are red, red-orange, and amber LEDs used for taillights and signaling applications.
“The main differences between Philips Lumileds products and its main competitors are its Thin Film Flip Chip (TFFC) technology, which offers improved thermal handling and Lumiramic Phosphor technology which improves light quality,” says Frost & Sullivan Program Leader Stephen Spivey. “This represents a significant competitive advantage against the high-power devices of its two main competitors, particularly for the front of the vehicle, where the light requirements present the biggest challenges to lamp designers.”
TFFC technology allows Philips Lumileds’ products to offer more lumens per Watt at a lower thermal resistance than those of competing LED suppliers. TFFC also supports the company's proprietary Lumiramic phosphor technology, which enhances the color control properties of LEDs. This equates to improved functionality because it makes technologically advanced lighting more applicable to automakers and their suppliers.
“Philips Lumileds has also been a market leader in reducing the cost of LED technology,” notes Spivey. “This is important because LEDs still cost 2.5 to 10 times more than halogen and incandescent lighting, depending on application. Suppliers must be able to justify the premium to OEMs and consumers to drive adoption rates for LED lighting.”
“By 2020, revenues for LED lighting will exceed all other lighting technologies within the global auto industry,” concludes Spivey. “Considering Philips Lumileds’ enhanced technologies and relationships with automakers and headlamp manufacturers across the world, the company will be the leader in driving LED adoption rates within the auto industry.”
