LED expertise

An LED is a light-emitting semiconductor component part that gives off visible light, infrared radiation or ultraviolet radiation as soon as current flows through the diode. Here, the semiconductor material used is critical for determining the wavelength. An LED consists mainly of an anode, cathode, semiconductor crystal, bond wire and housing. For most LEDs, the cathode also acts as the reflector. The bond wire connects the crystal to the diode. The solder joint forms one of the two electrical connections for the crystal. At the same time, it absorbs the dissipated heat that develops because the semiconductor crystal can convert only a portion of the electrical power into light.
LEDs are operated at a temperature-dependent "working point", which must be precisely specified or set.
Direct operation of an LED on a voltage source is not possible without a series resistor. Today, LEDs are used in many areas: smartphone displays, LED TVs, room lighting, and even modern operating room equipment. Small LEDs have long since become an integral part of everyday life.
This is especially true in the vehicle lighting sector. In addition to being used in headlamps, high beam headlamps, auxiliary headlamps, daytime running lamps and rear (combination) lamps, LEDs are also used for equipment such as side marker lamps and signal lamps. This means that a wide variety of applications can be covered, even in commercial vehicles. LEDs can play a major role in making work efficient, effective and safe, whether that's in powerful auxiliary headlamps like the HELLA Light Bar 470, reverse lamps or single function lamps.
In many cases, existing, conventional lighting on trucks and trailers can be professionally converted to modern LED technology.
Since the very start, HELLA has been one of the pioneers and leaders of innovation in developing and producing LED vehicle lighting. You will encounter thousands of our LED products every day on the roads, whether in daytime running lamps and headlamps on passenger cars, beacons on emergency vehicles or auxiliary headlamps on trucks. Because HELLA is LED!

You often encounter trucks or tractors with trailers on the roads whose low beam or tail light no longer functions (usually on one side). This can be dangerous if other road users see the trucks too late because of their poor lighting. Like on cars, the reason for the light failure is usually a defective light source, which then has to be replaced. Appropriate bulbs are available on the independent aftermarket, for example high-quality light sources from HELLA.

But can this type of failure occur with LEDs? The good news is that they usually don't. LEDs usually have a very long lifetime that is often even longer than the life of the car. This is one of the most significant advantages of LEDs compared to conventional light sources like halogen lamps. While these light sources can fail over the course of a vehicle's lifetime and must then be repurchased and replaced as described above, LEDs are largely maintenance free. Together with their low energy consumption and high energy efficiency, this results in considerable cost advantages for LEDs over the medium term thanks to their long lifetime. This is particularly true for large fleets, as the cost savings accumulate.
But how long do LEDs really last? Unfortunately there is no simple answer to this question because there is a very large number of factors at play, for example the quality of the LEDs used, how often they are switched on and off, the thermal management system used and many other factors. As a guideline, LEDs can certainly live a lifetime of 30,000 hours and more, whereas conventional 24 V halogen bulbs usually fail after just 2,000 to 4,000 hours.
Naturally, even the best LEDs cannot avoid the effects of adverse environmental conditions. As a result, even LEDs in headlamps can fail in extremely unfavourable circumstances. At the moment, it's not possible to replace them individually. Unfortunately, this means that the headlamp has to be replaced if the LEDs fail. But this happens extremely rarely, at least with HELLA headlamps.

Yes, they really are! High energy efficiency is one of the great advantages of LED technology alongside a long lifetime, as mentioned previously. LEDs generate near-maximum output with minimum power consumption, meaning that they are among the top performing light sources. Using them saves energy and money thanks to their low power consumption. In most cases, LEDs are worth buying because of their low operating costs, even if the initial outlay is still a little higher. For large fleets of lorries, the cost savings accumulate across all vehicles. Another positive side effect that comes from LEDs having a low power consumption is that they are particularly sparing on your lorry's energy resources. That's good for the lifetime of the battery and good for the environment thanks to reduced CO2 emissions. Energy-efficient vehicle lighting is already an important topic and will continue to grow in importance. It's anticipated that there will be a considerable increase in the number of electric vehicles in the coming years. This means that careful use of the vehicle's own energy resources will again gain particular significance. As a result, using highly efficient LED technology is almost inevitable, particularly in this field. The development of electrically-driven commercial vehicles is still in its infancy, but technological progress will happen here as well: it's just a question of time.

You probably know what it's like trying to change a bulb or a halogen light source on a truck headlamp that has just been used: it burns your fingers. That's because most light sources get very hot when they are switched on. This also means that they have a low energy efficiency because unused dissipated heat equates to energy loss.

Is this also the case with LEDs? Do they get that hot as well? The answer is not a simple "no". Of course, even LEDs generate heat when in operation. However, they develop far less heat than a comparable bulb. As a result, LEDs have a high energy efficiency. Unlike conventional light sources, they convert the majority of the energy supplied into light. For example, a 60 watt bulb has an illuminating power of approximately 600 lumens. Comparably, an up-to-date LED lamp with the same light output only consumes approximately 8 watts.

LED headlamps only radiate a small amount of UV and infrared light. Therefore, unlike standard halogen headlamps, they don't become hot at the points where light is emitted. But an LED headlamp can still generate heat in the housing. However, the headlamp's electronics are the true culprit in this case, but they are necessary for an optimum lighting result. Therefore, good thermal management is key because the heat generated needs to be reliably dissipated. Optimum temperature management on HELLA headlamps not only ensures that the headlamp functions properly, it also significantly extends the headlamp's lifetime.

For example, the HELLA Light Bar 350 and 470 auxiliary headlamps have an innovative plastic housing with a special ribbed design that perfectly dissipates the heat to ensure that the headlamp lives a long time.

To conclude, LED headlamps generate heat too. But they don't burn your fingers: at least HELLA headlamps don't. This also means you can't fry an egg on them.

LEDs can be used to achieve a variety of light colours, like common lighting technologies. Yet, light colour here does not mean generating coloured lighting using red, green or blue LEDs, for example. It means the "appearance" of the light generated by white LEDs.

The light colour, also called colour temperature, is generally specified in kelvin. In principle, there are roughly three different areas of colour perception: warm white (colour temperature of under 3,300 kelvin), neutral white (colour temperature of 3,300 to 5,000 kelvin) and daylight white (colour temperature of over 5,000 kelvin). LEDs can cover the entire spectrum.

Day-like light colour is particularly important in truck lighting, especially for headlamps and auxiliary headlamp. It has been proven that this light colour, combined with a homogenous light distribution, allows the road to be optimally illuminated. This means that powerful auxiliary headlamps like the HELLA Lightbar 350 and 470 with its day-like light colour, especially suitable for truck cabs, can significantly improve the view. Furthermore, day-like light can also significantly reduce tiredness, which is common for drivers in darkness, therefore also increasing safety for all road users.

In the LEDs used for HELLA high-power LED headlamps, strict quality standards relating to light colour and brightness are applied, starting from the selection process. Both values have to be within a strictly defined tolerance range. This is the only way to ensure consistently high and uniform light quality in terms of brightness, light colour and other properties.

People are also sensitive to colour in different ways, irrespective of the actual measurable kelvin values. Therefore, colour is a general impression and humans are not capable of delineating the spectral composition of light without technical resources. This means it's practically impossible to get a feel for how other people perceive colour.

So don't be surprised if surroundings seem a little "more colourful" to you than to others. It's because we all perceive colour differently!

The answer is really simple: LEDs can benefit everyone. Truck drivers and fleet operators reap particular benefits from using LED technology. That's because they offer many advantages: they improve the illumination of the road with a day-like light colour, they are durable, are maintenance free and have a high energy efficiency.

Lorry drivers whose trucks are already equipped with modern LED technology can confirm that you can see more easily with LEDs. That's because bright headlamps and auxiliary headlamp illuminate the road in the dark particularly well. The road and objects are more visible, meaning that other road users can see your vehicle better. The light colour, which is close to that of natural daylight, stop the eyes from getting tired. The advantages of this can't be underestimated, especially for drivers who have to drive for long periods in the dark. Therefore, LEDs are also good for safety.

Fleet operators in particular benefit from the mid-term cost advantages that LEDs bring, even if the initial outlay for LED headlamps is a little more expensive at the moment, because LEDs often last for the life of the vehicle and are as maintenance free as possible. Vehicle failures due to defective lighting, cumbersome bulb changes and buying replacement light sources are a thing of the past. The high energy efficiency levels bring further cost advantages, as LED headlamps' lower power consumption also encourages reduced fuel consumption. The associated CO2 savings are also particularly environmentally friendly. In many cases, existing halogen technology can be converted to new LED technology in just a few steps without requiring new expensive purchases.

So, there are many reasons to fully opt for LED lighting in trucks.