FDA approves Laser Headlight, when will Tesla have it?

Tesla isn't on the cutting edge of lighting. The S only has standard fixed HIDs. It's a decade behind other luxury cars in that respect. Unless they end up licensing someone else's technology I don't see Tesla skipping over LEDs to offer laser lighting any time soon.

I wonder why LED headlights aren't standard on the MS? I'm pretty sure they are standard on the Nissan Leaf. I kind of think it would be a fairly standard thing to have LEDs on an EV. Are laser headlights more efficient than LEDs?

Honestly, if you look at the design of the MS headlight it's pretty basic. I think they had such an uphill battle to climb with the car itself that for some of the simpler stuff like that they just went with what's simple and what works and what would offer the best return. As we've seen with other aspects of the car, people are willing to make certain compromises in features to drive a car like the MS. I think Tesla was aware of that and decided to go with the HIDs.

After all, when you're dealing with a car as revolutionary as the S, the last thing people are going to be talking about is the difference in light output between LED and HID. The real surprise was why they offered the car with halogen lights.

GasKilla said:

I wonder why LED headlights aren't standard on the MS? I'm pretty sure they are standard on the Nissan Leaf. I kind of think it would be a fairly standard thing to have LEDs on an EV. Are laser headlights more efficient than LEDs?

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Yes, according to the above article they're 30% more energy efficient.
This is now my most wanted feature for the Model S!

...and why is the Food and Drug Administration involved in approving automotive lighting again?

AMPd said:

Yes, according to the above article they're 30% more energy efficient.
This is now my most wanted feature for the Model S!

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HID are something like 45W. 30% more efficient brings them down to 31.5W. The 13.5W savings means that you will gain a mile of range somewhere around 20-30 hours of driving with the lights on. Energy efficiency wouldn't be the primary reason to use them, as it's down in the noise level.

Caligula said:

...and why is the Food and Drug Administration involved in approving automotive lighting again?

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the FDA oversee pretty much anything that can enter your body including laser stuff. If not properly use they were afraid it could get in someone's eyes and blind them or something.

FredLambert said:

the FDA oversee pretty much anything that can enter your body including laser stuff. If not properly use they were afraid it could get in someone's eyes and blind them or something.

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Right. Except lazers are neither a food nor a drug... someone needs to change this acronym.

Caligula said:

Right. Except lazers are neither a food nor a drug... someone needs to change this acronym.

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The FDA regulates all sorts of devices that have to do with health beyond just food and drugs.

But as long as you want to be so pedantic about acronyms, it's "laser", not "lazer" because it stands for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation."

That's one thing I am a bit disappointed with the Model S; the fixed HID headlights. I wouldn't mind as much if they swiveled. On my Jeep Grand Cherokee, it has self leveling and awesome swivel/cornering. That's on a vehicle half the cost the model S. Fixed headlights are pretty skimpy. LED's would be great, but to get them to auto level and turn is a much more important feature.

Zybane said:

That's one thing I am a bit disappointed with the Model S; the fixed HID headlights. I wouldn't mind as much if they swiveled. On my Jeep Grand Cherokee, it has self leveling and awesome swivel/cornering. That's on a vehicle half the cost the model S. Fixed headlights are pretty skimpy. LED's would be great, but to get them to auto level and turn is a much more important feature.

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Right. My 10 year old BMW 3 series has auto leveling and swiveling headlights that are just awesome.

GuyGadois said:

Right. My 10 year old BMW 3 series has auto leveling and swiveling headlights that are just awesome.

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So did my 1969 DS-21. This isn't new.

HeavyAaron said:

But as long as you want to be so pedantic about acronyms, it's "laser", not "lazer" because it stands for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation."

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You're going to have to argue with my phones predictictive text on that one.

Laser lights would be nice because of the possibility of using high beam all the time (blocking selectively the sector in which other vehicles are located, so you do not blind them). As for the BMW lights, I liked the self-leveling part, but did not find much use for the swiveling.

Those lights are awesome.

Come on Tesla step it up!

svp6 said:

Laser lights would be nice because of the possibility of using high beam all the time (blocking selectively the sector in which other vehicles are located, so you do not blind them). As for the BMW lights, I liked the self-leveling part, but did not find much use for the swiveling.

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You actually don't need laser for that. LED is capable of it as well as is HID. My 535 would have it's highs on most of the time and when an oncoming car was detected it would swivel the driver's light over to create a tunnel for that car and it would track it until the car got close enough, shut off the left high beam altogether, and then snap it back on. Same with following cars with your high beams on. If you came up on a car in front of you the high beams would split to make a tunnel for it but your highs would still be fully on without blinding that car.

With HIDs they were using a blocker on a swivel with a stepper or servo motor of some sort.

All of this is of course illegal in the US because of our archaic DOT laws but at least in the case of the BMWs the hardware and software is all there but just disabled during pre-purchase inspection. $50 and someone can code it right back on for you. Best $50 I ever spent. Those headlights were amazing.

Mike K said:

Tesla isn't on the cutting edge of lighting. The S only has standard fixed HIDs. It's a decade behind other luxury cars in that respect.

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Genuine question: what other cars had moveable LED headlights 10 years ago?

Caligula said:

...and why is the Food and Drug Administration involved in approving automotive lighting again?

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It's regulated by the CDRH which is part of the FDA: Center for Devices and Radiological Health - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Basically lasers = radiation so it falls under them. Weird, yes.

ecarfan said:

Genuine question: what other cars had moveable LED headlights 10 years ago?

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Audi for sure. Weight over the rear makes a large difference in headlight aim otherwise.