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Currently, automobile manufacturers receive automotive headlamp assemblies from headlamp manufacturers with outer lenses produced of clear or slightly blue tinted polycarbonate. Such headlamp designed to provide optimized light output have very similar aesthetics, and leave little room to differentiate one car platform from another, using the outer lens color. With edge glow technology a car manufacturer can provide an appealing aesthetic look (edge glow effect) from the outer lens. Additionally, this technology can be used to improve the quality of the beam color emitted through the outer lens. Dependent on the chosen combination of halogen source and lens formulation, a range of beam colors spanning from halogen to HID is attainable, where the beam pattern and color continue to conform to the applicable SAE and ECE beam photometry and color standards and regulations.

Automobile headlamps are highly controlled products that must meet various performance standards to be commercialized. The combination of the bulb and lens must emit acceptable color and light output. Commercially available headlamps use different types of bulbs but usually a clear or slightly tinted lens. In the past few years, high performance bulbs have been used. These are known as HID or xenon lamps and are characterized by their bluer color compared to standard halogen bulbs. This paper explores some of the possibilities that new lens material can offer in terms of design and aesthetics with little or no impact on lighting performance as tested per the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) J1383 [1]. Light stability of these new lens materials is also discussed.