LED headlamps in the spotlight
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THE NEW DAF XF IS the irst European truck to be offered with the option of LED headlamps. Others are sure to follow. Daf’s are supplied by Hella: we spotted prototype units by rival Truck-Lite on a Volvo FM in Eddie Stobart colours at Hannover (pictured), and on one of the new Stralis tractor units too. Iveco describes them as a “concept option” .
Truck-Lite claims LED headlamps can last up to 100,000 hours – equivalent to 11 years’ non-stop use – so they should be it-and-forget components, consigning bulb failure to history. Truck-Lite says they were developed as long ago as 2004 for the US military.
Hella says the light output of its LED lamps on the XF is on a par with xenon (gas discharge) headlamps and far superior to conventional halogen bulbs. Energy consumption is also lower, with the XF’s LED headlamps rated at 21W compared with the 70W standard halogen bulb.
Daf is talking of a list price of €1,500-€2,000 (£1,200-£1,600) for the LED option on the XF. That sounds a lot, but once discounted and costed over the life of the vehicle, it may begin to look feasible on some time-critical night operations such as parcels trunking. Truck-Lite reckons it is likely to be the middle of next year before its LED headlamps are on the market.