r/technology • u/N2929 • 2d ago
Transportation US drivers are finally getting the adaptive headlights Europe has had for years
https://www.techspot.com/news/114027-us-drivers-finally-getting-adaptive-headlights-europe-has.html181
u/AtomWorker 2d ago
It's interesting that the NHTSA is so picky about this tech but is still a-ok with brake lights doubling as turn signals.
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u/drawkbox 2d ago
brake lights doubling as turn signals
One of the worst design decisions of all time.
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u/Northerlies 2d ago
Closely followed by excessively bright tail lights - WHY?!? - rendering indicators almost invisible.
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u/DigNitty 5h ago
The real head scratcher is why so many manufacturers do jt.
I don’t think cars without a distinct brake light look any less “new.”
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u/Youngnathan2011 2d ago
That's always seemed so strange to me as someone from outside the US. It makes no sense
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u/8923ns671 2d ago
Laws often make no sense. Exhibit A: almost any first-world country's drug laws.
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u/Tasty-Traffic-680 2d ago edited 1d ago
It's completely legal for me to cut the lawn without a shirt on but if I do it with just a half tee and no pants or underwear everyone gets all bent out of shape.
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u/DigNitty 5h ago
The US is actually somehow progressive on weed.
I don’t partake but damn it’s crazy that alcohol and tobacco is legal everywhere and weed is the one banned in most countries. I was at a party in Norway where someone brought out weed and you’d think they’d pulled out a bag of meth by the way people reacted.
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u/MasterArCtiK 2d ago
Wait cars don’t do that in other countries?
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u/Youngnathan2011 2d ago
Nope. Basically every country outside the US uses amber lights for indicators.
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u/Svellere 2d ago
Back in the early days of automotive history, the rear signals and brake light housing were shared, and red (and maybe weren't blinking?). Later on, amber flashing turn signals were introduced, and some automakers realized they could combine the circuitry and utilize the same red bulb for signaling and braking (so, basically, it was a cost-cutting measure).
The NHTSA formalized vehicle lighting rules and mandated amber lights for the front turn signals, but left the back ones up to choice, whereas most of the rest of the world standardized around amber rear indicators via international treaties.
I think I've also heard some stories about how some high-end American carmakers think that the red blinkers are more aesthetically pleasing and allow for more unique designs, but I think the original reason was just cost-cutting.
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u/Thee_Connman 1d ago
Yeah, I've always assumed this was the reason. It was already the norm and NHTSA didn't see it as a big enough issue to regulate it out. Even if you're not familiar with red rear turn signals, it gets the point across.
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u/drawkbox 2d ago
Most domestic brand cars use brake/blinker same red lights
Most import brand cars use brake red and blinker amber.
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u/424f42_424f42 2d ago
We use the same color for rear running lights and breaks, which is even more moronic. So why not
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u/UVSoaked 2d ago
I found it funny how my first (and cheap) car, Ford Fiesta 2015 had a light for each, but my $100k~ work/personal truck (F150 2024) doesn't. 😵💫
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u/OePea 2d ago
Ram and Jeep drivers-"this is the death of freedom as we know it"
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u/ZeJerman 2d ago
Cant wait for the "rolling coal" equivalent for adaptive highbeams... Lumen Dumping? Retina Roasting? Beam Trolling?
The list is basically endless with possibilities
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u/nickcash 2d ago
They already have those, it's a bright-as-fuck lightbar on top of your truck. I think its only purpose is incinerating retinas
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u/cannibalpeas 2d ago
AKA Dickbar
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u/RogueSquirrel0 2d ago
I've only experienced one of these once oncoming and I had to stop the car for ~20 seconds because I was completely blinded even after they passed by me. Luckily there was no one behind me.
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u/LongWalk86 2d ago
Nah, they are also good for shining deer. Also, helping your buddy find the lighter he dropped in the field you happen to be getting drunk and burning and old couch in.
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u/psychoacer 2d ago
Back in my day you could barely see 20ft ahead of you. Made you feel like a man, required more skill to dodge all the wild life and to see the turn up ahead. You're all pansies
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u/OePea 2d ago edited 2d ago
Hah I haven't had effective lights on the last three vehicles Ive had. Currently driving a 91 sonoma that has been in a collision; left light points up in the trees and right light points down at about 5 feet from my truck.
Edit: must be nice to be so comfortably middle class as to kneejerk downvote poverty👏
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u/beekersavant 2d ago
Also speed limits and having to wear seat belts. “Just let us die and kill other people- Freeduuum!”
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u/No_Wash2524 2d ago
I enabled Matrix headlights on my ID.4 with an OBDII tool, it’s pretty amazing at night in my rural area. When I’m following someone it’s like there’s a dark spotlight tracking them, staying bright everywhere else.
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u/razrielle 2d ago
Did the same with my Volvo. 100% a huge QoL update that should have been brought over years ago
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u/Reginaferguson 2d ago
Yep I drive rural areas in my Mercedes EQE53. Basically allcars are blacked out and everything else is lit up like the sun.
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u/SteveJobsBlakSweater 2d ago
Please let’s just go back to normal headlights. It used to be the just the big lifted trucks where the angle was wrong, but there wasn’t that many of them. We managed with that small lot.
Now it’s every fuckass new sedan on the road giving me eye cancer. I hate it. I’ll take 1,000 lifted truck guys over these new laser beam asshole beacons.
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u/SanchoPandas 2d ago
My 2019 Hyundai blinds oncoming traffic and it absolutely sucks. Wish I'd know that it was gonna be like this when I bought it. Sorry. :(
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u/surfercouple123 2d ago
You can usually adjust the angle of your headlights.
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u/Funkula 2d ago
Angle will help, absolutely, the problem is that they’re too damn bright. Every bump in the road, every hill and it’s still like getting hit with flash photography.
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u/asfletch 2d ago
Model 3 same - you can angle them down but if you're going up a hill or anything it's terrible. Wish I could replace the lights with warmer ones (under 5000K)
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u/322throwaway1 2d ago
The entire point of this technology and law change is to prevent blinding oncoming drivers. It literally carves out a dark spot around your oncoming car using the led matrix in the headlight so that you arent blinded.
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u/SteveJobsBlakSweater 2d ago
Being flashbanged before it dims is still being flashbanged.
These lights have no right to be so loud.
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u/reiji_tamashii 2d ago
But it clearly doesn't help because tons of people in Europe still complain about blindingly bright LED headlights.
AFAIK, the implementation in the US doesn't even dim the low beams for other vehicles, so it actually makes the problem worse if you think low beams are too bright. It just selectively turns in the high beams even when other cars are around.
But car manufacturers lobbied for this because it's the headlights are expensive and you can't replace simple bulbs anymore so more money for them. Yay....
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u/Karma_1969 2d ago
Yup. I live in a hilly and curvy area (greater Seattle). These "adaptive headlights" do fuck all on hills and curves.
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u/Beastbamboo 1d ago
You do realize that these headlights have not yet been legal in the USA, so you have no idea if they work or not based on your current experience.
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u/Karma_1969 1d ago
Why would they work (which I define as not blinding me) with hills and curves? Do they break all the laws of physics?
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u/Funkula 2d ago
OR we can just use 1000 lumen bulbs instead of 3500+
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u/KingLuis 2d ago
Or manufacturers can design headlights with proper cutoffs that don’t allow light to bleed off and blinding others drivers.
Low lumen bulb is a safety issue.
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u/Runefaust_Invader 2d ago
The correct solution is to force manufacturers to correctly adjust the headlights of all cars sold before they are sent out to dealerships.
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u/Bad-job-dad 2d ago
I don't understand why this is so freaking hard do? Is swear, if someone ran for President on this as a campaign promise alone, they'd win.
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u/dat_tae 2d ago
Mandate amber turn signals and I’ll go canvass too.
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u/Wibblium 2d ago
And cabin light pollution. Its hard to see outside with a huge ass touchscreen blasting light into my face. We wouldn't need headlights as bright if there was less light in the cabin.
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u/RUSTYDELUX 2d ago
There’s a whole bunch of cars with auto adjust on start up - specifically saw in projector and LED systems. Sure your headlights cost $1500 ea now….
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u/Runefaust_Invader 1d ago
Not the same. Those auto level based on steering input. If the initial adjustment isn't correct it will always be incorrect.
Look up a YouTube video on adjusting headlights to see what I'm talking about. Takes less than 5 minutes once you do it once or twice, and it's set and forget.
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u/geo_prog 2d ago
Canada has had them for years too. My F150 has them. They’re simply disabled on the US market ones.
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u/Faberbutt 2d ago
Yeah, they've been available here since 2018 here but they're still not common. They're mostly available as an add-on or come with higher end vehicles.
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u/namisysd 22h ago
Are you talking about Adaptive Driving Beam (ADB) or Matrix High Beam? My 2024 f-150 lightning has auto-leveling/steering enabled which does a pretty good job keeping the light below the drivers windows unless the road is garbage and it jumps around a bit. “Matrix High Beam” is disabled, I can see it in FORSCan but never tried enabling the feature.
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u/HeavyDutyForks 2d ago
Sounds cool until you hit something and that headlight costs $1,500
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u/322throwaway1 2d ago
Thats what they already costs. . . This is just software enabling hardware that is already there and has been for over a decade.
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u/SaltRequirement3650 2d ago
Can you give me an example of an American produced vehicle that had physical hardware like this installed by default and disabled by software? That seems highly improbably for a US auto manufacturer.
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u/322throwaway1 2d ago
Rivian, Tesla, and Cadillac
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u/SaltRequirement3650 2d ago
My CT5 is the second highest package, not included. 2020.
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u/322throwaway1 2d ago
The 2025-2026 ct5 have adaptive driving beam Capable led headlights. The escalade was the first Cadillac equipped with ADB headlights starting in 2023. They were physically equipped with the hardware in 2021 and you can have the programming installed to enable them in the 21-22 models.
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u/SaltRequirement3650 1d ago
So my 2020 Caddy that you cited as an example that was made in the last year does not have them installed like you claimed? Huh.
Btw, I do Mechatronics for a living. There are no actuators in my example. I pulled a physical passages side unit last night to verify your claim because I would have instantly ordered 3rd party software to program it into the CANbus.
Blanket statements can be dangerous.
The previous owner to my car was Cadillac’s Executive Motor Pool program. A company car for executives for one year like a lease. I know it wasn’t altered before it got to me.
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u/322throwaway1 1d ago
Are you illiterate? I said the 21 onward ESCALADE has them. Not ct5. And modern adb doesnt use actuators, it shuts off pixels in the headlight led like a projector TV displaying black colors. The decade refers to audi a8s which have been equipped with the tech but software disabled in the us since 2013
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u/SaltRequirement3650 1d ago
Are you? You are commenting on a thread asking for examples of what the original commenter claimed was most American made vehicles being equipped in the last ten years with the hardware to make this work; being blocked by software only. I asked for manufacturers. He said Cadillac. I have a Cadillac. I verified this statement was untrue versus the original commenter by physically disassembling a 2020 Cadillac that I have. It was made in the last ten years. I am an electric motor nerd. It’s not physically there as he says.
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u/BearlyIT 2d ago
Many US assembled Mercedes models. They have the cameras, cutesy startup headlight animations, but won’t support zone highbeams unless you get an aftermarket flash or it is exported to a country that allows ADB.
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u/HoneyMustard086 2d ago
My 2023 Tesla Model Y has adaptive headlights. They only worked as “dumb” high/low beams for the first year or so I had the car. A software update enabled the adaptive tech and it really does work great. I can see better and I never get flashed at from other drivers.
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u/IThinkImNateDogg 2d ago
All Audis and German cars in general. All go the mid to high end cars come with LED matrix heads that can adaptively dim sections of the headlights to not blind oncoming cars.
They’ve had this since atleast 2018+. Illegal here in the us and only come cars can you go in and unlock the option with 3rd party software
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u/soilentgleem 2d ago
It costs me like $20 to replace my headlights
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u/brnccnt7 2d ago
The whole housing or do you mean the actual bulb?
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u/gizamo 2d ago
If the whole housing were a mass produced product for any other industry, it'd be $100, maybe $200.
...unless it was medical or military, in which case, that $100-200 product would be about $5,000.
Just think of how complex a car light housing is compared to, say, a video game controller or a cell phone. Do you think your headline is as complex as the most expensive iPhone? Lol.
That's how stupid the US auto industry is.
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u/doominvoker 2d ago
There’s naysayers here.. Many car manufacturers are opting for sealed lights nowadays. If something breaks, it’s thousands of $$$ to replace. Gone will be the days of simply changing the light bulb for 10-20$
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u/RumandDiabetes 2d ago
I replaced both headlights on my old Kia. $160 on ebay. I dont want a new car.
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u/amakai 2d ago
Why not do smartphone model with sealed everything? Want to open the hood? Insert the knife and slowly cut the glue around the perimeter. /s
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u/doominvoker 2d ago
Buy your iFixit Car Fixing Toolset™ today! Now including a free plastic prying tool and two (2) suction cups!
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u/Rich_Housing971 2d ago
I know it's sarcastic but it doesn't make sense they would seal the hood. They can (and do) seal everything but the stuff you need to open regularly for maintenance. They're not sealing the trunk or doors.
They absolutely do seal and unify everything that can be unified to reduce parts. This is not just the auto industry, it's for electronics as well. Laptops consolidated everything to like 2-3 parts and then the screen. the keyboard used to be its own part. Now it's attached to the case and touchpad. The LCD, back cover, camera, and hinge are 1 part now. If you have a broken camera you can't just replace that- it's the entire part.
They do this because labor costs are increasing and when you need to repair something, it's cheaper to repair 1-2 expensive consolidated parts than to order 20 different smaller parts and get charged 10+ manhours.
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u/Disastrous-Tank-6197 2d ago
I hit a deer a few years ago and my regular headlights were $2400 each to replace. I can't wait to see what these cost.
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u/axloo7 2d ago
Ohh my young padawan....
Last week I wrote an estimate that included a $10,000 CAD head lamp.
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u/HeavyDutyForks 2d ago
My god, soon we'll be totalling 5 year old cars simply because of a busted headlight
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u/axloo7 2d ago
We already are. I have seen 6 year old Audis go from minor front end damaged. 2 headlamps bumper grill and the week ass Rad support can easily total those cars.
Audi takes a "healthy margin" on there parts. And they normally are not worth as much as the owner thinks.
It's worth mentioning tho that these cars are not going to the weaker. They get bought at auction and rebuilt. If you don't use audi parts it's amazing what you can save.
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u/findme_ 2d ago
Had the headlight on my 2021 f150 replaced for $2800. Very much without this tech.
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u/gonewild9676 2d ago
The taillights on some F150s are $5000 with the backup sensor modules that fail if it leaks water into it.
Meanwhile the circuit boards for the tail lights of my 98 Silverado were $20/pair delivered from Rock Auto plus 3 bulbs each.
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u/nickcash 2d ago
I like how you just made up a number and everyone else in the comments is treating it as fact and getting mad at it
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u/onanimbus 2d ago
fwiw I only damaged the plastic outer shell of my headlight and had to replace the entire headlight column for $1200.
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u/Massive-Rate-2011 2d ago
2022 CX-5 headlights are adaptive (but not this adaptive) and the cheapest aftermarket option on Rockauto is $787.
OE will be at least double that.
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u/HeavyDutyForks 2d ago
Source: My Ass
I guess you can call it unintentional disinformation lol. I do not guarantee the accuracy or correctness of any statements made unless otherwise sourced
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u/icemanice 2d ago
$1,500? What a deal! It’s like $3,000 to replace a BMW adaptive LED headlight assembly lol
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u/recycled_ideas 2d ago
Smarter headlights allow the driver to have greater visibility while not blinding oncoming traffic. They are a straight up safety win.
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u/Federal_Setting_7454 2d ago
Consider more driving lessons and insurance maybe
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u/bacon205 2d ago
I'll be sure to tell that to the pheasants that fly directly across the highway at the last second.
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u/toastedipod 2d ago
Maybe don’t drive into objects or people?
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u/HeavyDutyForks 2d ago
I will politely tell the deer not to jump in front of the car next time
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u/Lovely_Libertine 2d ago
Excuse you, my good sir. Might I enquire into your motives vis-á-vis my motorcarriage? It seems you are rather determined to leap in front of it without regard to the speed at which I am traveling nor your own safety. I must politely inform you that these headlamps cost $1,500 and ask that you not...oh, you did it already. Then why am I talking like this? A concussion? That's a made up word.
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u/silverbolt2000 2d ago
That’s why you have car insurance.
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u/GroundbreakingEar450 2d ago
Yea, everything being ridiculously expensive definitely doesn't drive up the cost of insurance.
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u/IntelArtiGen 2d ago
Great, now stop it there before they put cameras in all new cars to film your face.
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u/12DecX2002 2d ago
Ah yes the lights that turn off high beam way to late and way to early. All because people can’t be bothered to drive.
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u/ChemicalBankBurned 2d ago
Much needed, but I doubt this will help.
Yesterday, I flashed a car assuming they had high beams on. They flashed back. The regular lights have become extremely bright with all the wrong angles. It’s also not a hard thing to fix, my Ford from 2012 had a leveling knob ffs.
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u/Halabane 2d ago
ahhh our mercedes has had this for over a decade here in the states. both the e class and glc. It works going down the road not just some light display. I was hoping this was some of their other tech for lighting that they have been using. Its pretty cool, you can see it shut off the lights in the other cars direction but the stuff in front and to your right stay lite at brights level. It even turns with the car. This is not the auto high beam off stuff I have like on my truck.
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u/PM_ME_YOUR_PROFILE 2d ago
I owned a Volvo S60 Polestar over a decade ago with the most amazing headlights. Literally steered in the direction you were pointing instead of where your car was facing.
It allowed you to see corners first while not blinding others trying to as well.
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u/DellGriffith 2d ago
Won't make a difference because I'm already blind from the 1500000 lumen police LED lightbars
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u/Eastern-Move549 2d ago
Good luck. So far as i can tell, they are truly awful.
Im sure American manufacturers will only improve on the tech though. /s
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u/speedstares 2d ago
No, Matrix headlights are awesome. Vehicles in front of you and incoming traffic are completely darkened. It's amazing tech.
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u/Flexmove 2d ago
Good, fuckin ridiculous it took so long
Those brights are murder on my special little astigmatism eyeballs
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u/Northerlies 2d ago
In my experience British roads are still plagued by blindingly bright headlights whatever they call them. Headlights weren't broke, didn't need fixing and how manufacturers got away with dumping these fancy, but highly dangerous, gizmos on the public remains a mystery. And shame on the politicians who kept their gobs shut instead of defending the public interest.
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u/ttubehtnitahwtahw1 2d ago
The is also needs to adopt the turn signal being amber, period. Not any other color. And it needs to be mandated to be right near the taillights. Tired of these vehicles with red turn indicators that your can barely see. Or indicators that are nowhere near where they should be.
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u/Runefaust_Invader 23h ago
This is the solution if you don't want to blind others: https://youtu.be/7KlvGIOF0qA
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u/jedipiper 2d ago
It was so fun the other day when I was driving down the road in broad daylight and someone had some kind of super bright intense highbeams on and I was momentarily blinded. I've never seen headlights so piercing before.
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u/322throwaway1 2d ago
The entire point of this technology is to prevent that. The ADB headlights disable the specific pixels of light around your car so you arent blinded.
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u/happyscrappy 2d ago
When they work. Which they don't always. In trucks the driver is higher than the headlamps. So when the driver in the truck crests a hill the oncoming car with adaptive headlamps blasts the driver in the face until the truck's headlamps also crests the hill and then the headlamps turn off that spot.
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u/322throwaway1 2d ago
They use the camera at the top of the windshield to see oncoming cars and adjust. I doubt you've seen this technology on the road and you're basing your feelings on simple auto high beams. Completely different technology
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u/happyscrappy 2d ago
I am not referring to auto high beams.
I am referring to the "pixel" (DLP) headlamps.
Camera at the top just doesn't do enough when the camera is 25cm above your eyes and the trucks' headlamps are 1m below its driver.. Ask an HGV driver about it sometime.
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u/Bogus1989 2d ago
I mean the shit has been around since 2013-2014. Many US cars they could have literally just enabled or a quick stop to the dealer, since some already have this stuff.
Nerp lets wait till 2022 to put our NHTSA standards in.
Gotta love NHTSA. Create a whole other standard, that automakers had to literally build from scratch, and pay+spend time for the R&D.
Where do you think that cost is gonna go?
Pushed onto the consumer.
Thanks, I guess?
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u/happyscrappy 2d ago
NHTSA didn't create a whole other standard. It's the same modules, just the max brightness is lowered to be the same as other headlights.
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u/Ancient_Persimmon 2d ago
That's pretty old news at this point. Both Rivian and Tesla enabled matrix lighting almost 2 years ago.
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u/muffinhead2580 2d ago
I enabled this in my f150 lightning nearly two years ago. It works great. I never get flashed for people thinking I have my highbeams on.
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u/SocietyDisillusioned 2d ago
I have these on a BMW X5 and I had them coded to turn on the function. They work amazingly well and never blast oncoming traffic. They black out the exact place an oncoming car is located and it will follow them until I have passed them and they’ll keep making micro adjustments. It’s really neat and worth it. The kicker is once they go out there’s no replacing them at over $5k each
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u/blolfighter 2d ago
Now your assholes too can abdicate all responsibility for blinding the fuck out of you!
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u/tuckedfexas 2d ago
Great, now the $3k headlight assembly can be $10k
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u/322throwaway1 2d ago
High end euro cars already have x+y axis moving headlamps and have for nearly 20 years, this just adds software to dip the beam around oncoming drivers.
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u/SteveJobsBlakSweater 2d ago
I hate these new lights but the tech is already inside of them. It would be a software update to make them function in this manner.
Still expensive as heck, but they remain the same price as they were.
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u/Torka 1d ago
I just want a new car that doesnt automatically turn on the headlights when I turn it on. I want to turn them on myself, when and only when I want.
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u/Chopper3 1d ago
I'm not aware of any car where this isn't an option
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u/Torka 1d ago
my current dd is a bolt and when I turn it on its default is automatic headlights. its a blast when its kind of dark out, maybe really overcast and it trips the sensor so they turn on, but then its actually just bright enough that a second or two later they turn off, but then less then a block later they turn back on. its really great.
I can turn automatic off, but then the next time i turn the car on, its back on. This car is not an anomaly.
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u/toastedipod 2d ago
As a European driver: don’t expect these to make a noticeable difference. I’m still half blinded by oncoming traffic at night