The Consumer Electronics Show might be meant for, unsurprisingly, consumer electronics, but that hasn’t stopped many automakers from coming to the trade show to show off their new prototypes or upcoming technology in recent years, and 2015 won’t be any different. BMW in particular has some interesting announcements, a few of which are related to advanced lighting systems for vehicles.
At the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), BMW is hoping to illuminate the path to the future. The German brand will introduce its Organic Light concept at the event, which will display organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology. The company also plans to unveil an intelligent version of its Laserlight system as well. In case you didn’t know, OLEDs are an offshoot of LEDs where the light source is a thin organic film of hydrocarbon chains rather than a pointed array of bulbs. The design allows for a more uniform spread of light than LEDs, while still being electrically efficient. Most existing OLEDs aren’t bright enough to replace LEDs in the headlights and brake lights, so they are generally relegated to taillight sections for now. They can be used to create exotic, progressive designs though, with individual modules activating separately in exciting new shapes and contours. Because they don’t need reflectors and other optics, they also take up less space in the boot.
