Once again, pioneering lighting technology from Osram is being fitted to a production vehicle. This time it is OLED technology (Organic Light Emitting Diode) in the tail lights of the new BMW M4 GTS. These organic area light sources take up very little space, opening up design options that car manufacturers have so far only dreamed about. “Our OLEDs in the tail lights of the BMW M4 GTS make us the first company to have this new technology on the road in a production vehicle. Yet again we are demonstrating our pioneering role in the automotive sector.” That is how Hans-Joachim Schwabe, CEO Specialty Lighting at Osram, summarized the position of the lighting manufacturer in the OLED business.

As a lighting system supplier for the new BMW M4 GTS, Osram is proving once again that it is a technology and innovation leader, and together with tail light specialist odelo has created the first automotive OLED lighting for a production vehicle. “It has been a very intense cooperation with Osram and we are proud that we have finished this project for BMW successfully. This project once again shows our innovational strength,” summarized Muhammet Yildiz, CEO at odelo Group. The fanlike OLEDs in the tail light on the production vehicle emphasize the flatness of the light source and act as a design highlight, particularly when viewed slightly from the side. Splitting the OLED area in two free-form segments enabled the unusual wishes of the lighting designers at BMW to be fulfilled. Apart from their innovative design the new tail lights offer impressive functionality. With a total of 15 OLEDs per tail light and a brightness of 1.200 cd/m² they guarantee optimum visibility on the road and perform all the rear light functions.

Flexible lighting technology of the future

The thin layers of an OLED contain organic materials. They are enclosed by flat electrodes which serve as the electrical contacts. When power is supplied, photons are produced in the layers, causing the diode to emit light. Since OLEDs produce light in very thin layers they are ideal for flexible lighting solutions. For example, 3D effects can be created by segmentation, in other words the close arrangement of switchable light surfaces next to one another. The possibility of controlling individual light modules separately opens up even more design options such as dynamic functionality. In addition to offering enormous flexibility of design, OLED technology consumes very little energy, which is of great benefit in the automotive industry.