After generations of halogen headlights, Xenon HID and LED are the new, popular kids on the block. What exactly are they? Here's our Dolan Lexus team's quick intro and explanation.
History of Halogen
Dating back to the late 19th century, halogen lamps contain a filament of tungsten surrounded by a glass capsule filled with halogen. The filament glows when electricity passes through it, evaporating tungsten atoms and redepositing them onto the filament.
Xenon
Xenon, or high-intensity discharge, is a bulb containing twin electrodes and filled with xenon gas. When electricity hits the electrodes, it breaks the xenon gas into positive and negative ions. The ions rush toward the electrodes, emitting light when they crash into each other. Xenon is essentially a controlled lighting strike. Hence, its distinct bright-bluish color temperature.
LED
LED stands for light-emitting diode. This type of headlight contains diodes and a semiconductor. When an electrical current passes through the semiconductor, electrons and electron holes recombine, forming light. Each type of headlight has its own unique color, brightness and other benefits. LED and halogen are much more common and economic, while Xenon is much more typical of high-end luxury vehicles.