Green light? Audi’s high-tech LED lighting system certified as eco-innovation

By Marcus Amick Published April 12, 2013

Who would have guessed that in addition to adding a nice design detail to a vehicle, those LED lights can actually save you cash at the pump?

According to Audi, the EU Commission has measured the fuel savings achieved by Audi LED headlights and found that the high-tech lighting system actually helps make vehicles more fuel efficient.

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Testing the low-beam headlights, high-beam headlights and license plate light in dynamometer testing, LED lights on the Audi A6 was found to save CO2 savings were found to be over one gram per km (1.61 g/mile).

The savings stem from the amount of energy consumed in the new lighting systems compared to conventional halogen units. According to the Audi release, conventional halogen lighting systems consume over 135 watts of power in their low-beam headlight mode. Audi’s low-beam lights only consume around 80 watts.

By reducing the amount of power needed to light LEDs, the engine doesn’t have to work as hard as it would with conventional halogen units. And while a number of car manufactures now use the technology, Audi is the first automaker to have the technology certified as being more fuel-efficient.

Audi debuted its LED technology in daytime running lights in the A8 W12 back in 2004. In 2008, the R8 sports car became the world’s first car to feature full-LED headlights. The lighting system is currently available in the Audi R8, A8, A6, A7 Sportback and A3.

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Marcus Amick has been writing about the world of cars for more than ten years and has covered everything from new automobiles…

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