The main Takeaways
- The event provided outstanding opportunities to network, to build new business and reinforce existing contacts.
- Great appreciation for the inspiration to ask new questions to new people, expanding the range and depth of thought about all aspects of lighting.
- Interesting lectures of car maker Lucid Motors, Rivian, Zoox, and Lotus.
- ADB still waits for the break through in the US. All car makers are cautious.
- Brand signatures by lighting become standard for nearly all EV makers and Micro-optics technology is now available for nearly all functions.
- Intriguing keynotes from veterans of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Lighting Research Center, first with the PNNL scientists about flicker, and then John Bullough about lighting and safety. Flicker is the new glare: it degrades safety and wellbeing, but is not yet very well studied or countervailed.
- Attractive expo with extra-good connection between the innovations at the booths and the lecture presentations by the companies.
- Two high level panel discussions:
- One chaired by Wolfgang Huhn on Styling design with Jenny Ha, Lucid Motors designer, Anthony Loo, Ford head of design, Jonathan Szczupak, Rivian designer and Michael Kleinkes from Forvia Hella for the technical part. The key-messages were: A real good designer has to be a better engineer than the engineer; All brands search for a clear distinguishability by the lighting; Some industry design trends are difficult to individualize like the side-to-side rear lamp.
- Second chaired by Paul-Henri Matha on ADB and Electrical Architecture with reprentives of Forvia Hella, Rivian, Zoox, Marelli, Magna, Asyst, Microchip, Sapphire Tech Solutions, and Melexis.
The key messages were: SAE lighting system group is working of a recommended test method (SAE J3288) that may be ready by 6 months; The trend of SW shift from Lamp to vehicle ECU for new electrical platform is confirmed.