HELLA wins innovation award for its FlatLight technology in China

Shanghai, December 1, 2021. The development towards electromobility, automated driving and individualisation is also accompanied by new requirements for rear combination lamps. For example, they have to be lightweight and efficient while meeting the highest standards of performance and design. To this end, HELLA developed the FlatLight concept, which takes styling, functionality and performance to a whole new level. The HELLA technology has now received the Industry Development Innovation Award by Automobile & Parts, a well-known industry magazine in China, thanks to its advanced and excellent performance and as one of the most innovative projects in the automotive industry.

 

“We are delighted that our latest rear lamp technology, FlatLight, has received an award from a highly respected trade magazine”, says Qin Kai, head of the HELLA product centre rear combination lamps in the region Asia/Pacific. “The technology is already attracting a lot of interest in the local Chinese market. After all, it is particularly interesting for new energy car manufacturers, not least because of its high energy efficiency. We are therefore preparing to localise the FlatLight technology as quickly as possible.”

 

With the FlatLight concept, HELLA is significantly changing the design of future light signatures. This is made possible by a light guide concept based on particularly small micro-optics. These are optical lenses no larger than a grain of salt. Since the indicator, brake and tail light can be implemented in this way in just one optical element, FlatLight technology opens up completely new possibilities for unmistakably staging the rear of the vehicle with characteristic light designs. Another plus point is that FlatLight technology is considerably more efficient and requires around 80 percent less energy than conventional systems.

 

HELLA presented the FlatLight concept for the first time at the beginning of the year. In a next development step, the new Digital FlatLight will build on this technology, but expands the possibilities many times over. The combined usage with Smart Glass offers the possibility to individually switch a multitude of glass segments via software. The need for masks and decors is eliminated. This gives manufacturers the possibility, for example, to create different designs with just a few clicks, depending on the equipment variant. In addition, the technology allows for new business models, for example by allowing graphics to be added or software updates to be installed.