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Mercury-FreeBi-function Xenon System
Valeo is one of the only companies able to supply more environmentally friendly headlamps using mercury-free bulbs without altering light efficiency. The Group has provided this solution to Audi and Toyota.
Xenon bulbs use an electroluminescent process to generate light in an electrical arc. This arc is ignited in a glass cavity that contains different elements that facilitate the start-up phase and guarantee the light composition. Today’s xenon bulbs contain a small amount of mercury, required during the ignition phase. After intensive research we are now able to produce bulbs containing no hazardous materials. Owing to the new composition of the filling elements, the driving conditions and the optical properties of the bulb have changed. The driving voltage has fallen from 85 Volts to 42 Volts, almost doubling the driving current, and the nominal luminous flux has dropped slightly.
Both new Valeo headlamps in the new Audi A5 coupé and the Toyota Auris are using this new environmentally friendly technology without compromising the performance of the overall system. Valeo’s optical design was able to compensate for the lower performance of the bulb and thus maintain the high level of performance offered by Xenon technology.
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