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Ford talks about the 2015 F150's headlights

9K views 44 replies 19 participants last post by  TheBUC 
#1 ·
New Ford F-150 -- First Truck to Offer Tougher, Brighter, More Efficient LED Headlamps
GMInsideNews.com
March 18, 2014
By: GMI Staff



--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.

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. The program is creating more than 30 jobs at the OSRAM Hillsboro, N.H. facility.

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.”
 
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#2 ·
I can't wait for the tests for the new F150 to come out. The LED headlights will probably be a footnote in those articles. Yet, it's stuff like this that gets me interested. The closest GM has is the LED strips on the Sierra (& upcoming Canyon). But, even HIDs are becoming old hat these days. LEDs are the future. GM needs to get it in gear for LED headlights if they haven't already.
 
#27 ·
The only problem (IMO) with the Sierra's headlights are the LEDs above the headlights. The set below acts as a nice place for the DRLs. But with the strip above at night & the amber lens to the outside of the headlight, it's a collection of compromises.

In all seriousness though, I'm sure LED headlamps will grow dramatically in popularity across all light vehicle segments. GM currently uses them in the Cadillac Escalade.
The previous Escalade used LED headlights, but that used the older method of using multiple LEDs for each function (4 for lowbeam, 4 more for high beam). Also, we know the price point of the Escalade. We have yet to see at what trim level Ford will offer the package for the LED headlights, but I'm sure it will be lower than the $60K price point of the Caddy.

I despise those headlights. So much that I'm desperately trying to get the state to get me a current gen F-150 so I won't have to look at those abominations every morning. Tahoe's are weird, those are just awful.
If I decide to buy one, I'll take a road trip so that you can see it admire it. :D

That sounds fascinating. I would like to know more about how they design the lenses.
Ford has been spinning their media machine over this new truck. Give it time. Ford may very well release a video showing the lenses getting made.

Here's a different picture over at tfltruck.com that's up closer to the light itself.
I chose the picture of him stepping on the light rather than the closer picture that everyone else is showing. :p: If the article says that the headlight is tough, then I want to see it.

Won't break, but will they still haze over and turn yellow after a few years?
Any plastic lens will yellow & haze with no maintainence. My Sierra, my buddy's Durango & Altima, another buddy's Accord, all yellowed & hazy. Polishing the lens with some plastic polish really is necessary.
 
#8 · (Edited)
Not exactly setting the bar very high now are they. :p:p:p:D
That's a good one, jzchev28. :lmao:

In all seriousness though, I'm sure LED headlamps will grow dramatically in popularity across all light vehicle segments. GM currently uses them in the Cadillac Escalade.

 
#6 ·
They compare LED to halogen, saying it lasts 5x longer...why don't they compare it to HID? HID claims to last 10x longer than halogen, so does that mean that LED only lasts half as long as HID? My fluorescent twist bulbs in my house are supposed to last forever, yet I seem to replace 1 every month or two.

LED is most definitely the future, but is it needed for headlights? What advantage is there over a HID system? What's that headlight cost to replace when it goes bad? Sounds like they're trying to reinvent the wheel and over complicate a simple thing.

Also, the article explains some reasons why LED is great but I missed the part about why the F150s headlights are so ugly.
 
#13 · (Edited)
My fluorescent twist bulbs in my house are supposed to last forever, yet I seem to replace 1 every month or two.
You've either got an electrical issue or are buying really poor quality bulbs. I have 2 CFL bulbs in my home office that are on right now that were screwed into the socket in 2006. When I get up around 6:30 they turn on and are literally on all day until I go to bed around 11:30 (office is on the north side of the house so I don't get the daytime sun through the windows so these lamps stay on). They've done this same routine for 8 years now. I have CFL flood lights in my recessed kitchen lighting that burn about 4 hours a day since 2008 and have yet to be replaced.
 
#12 ·
I despise those headlights. So much that I'm desperately trying to get the state to get me a current gen F-150 so I won't have to look at those abominations every morning.

Tahoe's are weird, those are just awful.
 
#16 ·
“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.”
That sounds really heavy. Does anyone know what an equivalent glass lens would weigh?

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.

“We don’t want to get fingerprints on the surface, because that would change the lens’ ability to spread the light evenly,” Teodecki said.
That sounds fascinating. I would like to know more about how they design the lenses.

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.
Cool. I like what manufacturer's are doing with LED's and light tubes. Can't wait to see the Escalade in person! :eek:
 
#22 ·
“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.”
Won't break, but will they still haze over and turn yellow after a few years?
 
#25 ·
The halogens in the SRX blow.
Have you inspected vertical aim of your SRX's headlamps? Here's one procedure you can use to make adjustments:

 
#42 ·
I've installed LED bulbs into most of my cars for the last decade. The better built ones have had no issues whatsoever. The bulbs I use in my Sierra are the ones I used in my Dakota & also used in my C2500. I have had to touch the diodes directly many times. They are aftermarket bulbs, so they have no fancy reflector to protect them from my oily hand prints.
 
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