Were you awed when you first saw the “Angel Eye” lights on the BMW E39 all those years ago? Well, BMW continues to remain on the cutting edge of technology, where they are not too happy with the power hungry design of tail lights on existing vehicles, and intend to change the way things look in the future by sharing their vision of using OLED-based Organic Light technology in upcoming vehicles. These OLED lights will be super thin, and form uniformly lit strips which will hopefully be easy to see without the need for reflectors, all the while consuming a relative pittance in power compared to existing systems.
Such a design and advancement in tail light systems will most probably also lead to even more exotic looking rides, considering how BMW already has the technical know how when it comes to shaping the OLEDs into any kind of 2D shape that they like, with plans to introduce flexible as well as 3D lights some time down the road.
The Bavarian automaker has hopes of seeing Organic Light see action in production vehicles within the next three years. Current OLEDs are not quite bright enough to take over the job of brake lights, headlights and indicators; but rather, they will function as complements to LEDs and lasers. The interior of a ride lighted by OLEDs might be a different story altogether though. [Press Release]