Following on from the GTB Lighting Forum in February 2017, where future lighting developments and legislation consequences were discussed, the launch meeting of the new GTB Strategy Working Group took place in Darmstadt on 21 March 2017. This launch meeting, involving 14 companies represented by their senior executives, resulted in a successful start of a new phase in the history of GTB, promising improved relationships between companies and GTB.
Geoff Draper, who chaired this launch meeting, said that he could not recall an instance when he had chaired a meeting where so many senior company executives, leaders in the field of automotive lighting, were present! The leadership of this new group will be announced in due course.
The paper, from the GTB President, reproduced below emphasises the job to be done in the preparation for upcoming meetings. There is a double target for the regulations to be in line with the coming scientific and engineering breakthroughs able to improve safety and comfort during night-time driving:
• Simplification of the ECE regulations and harmonisation, focussing on the functionality of light rather than on the technology employed. Work was launched several months ago and the target to achieve all the missions will be in the next 3 years.
• Building regulations allowing the possibility to accept the new functions as: Indication of the safe distance (Visual crosswalk, Visual emergency braking, Construction zone lighting), arrows for directing instructions, car to car communication, Zebra generation for pedestrians, dynamic welcome light, with eventually using new colours with unique need : avoiding light confusion and glare.
Work has to start as soon as possible.
Technologies are changing very fast and regulation is a key point for the future.
That’s why, with the help of six lighting veterans, we at DVN are hard at work on the study, “Impact of a changing Car Industry on Exterior Lighting: Evolution or Revolution? – Identify your success factors for the next decade”. We will inform you very soon about how DVN will make the results of this study available to DVN members.
The Shanghai DVN Workshop is coming up soon—on the 25th and 26th of this month. 300 people representing over 25 different local car makers and 55 lighting companies have shown their interest for the event by registering their highest level and most knowledgable representatives and experts. I expect you’ve received your flyer in English and Chinese; if you need a fresh copy, grab it from the website. See you there!
Registrations will be closed at 350 attendees.
Sincerely yours
DVN President