Mobis develops 'world first fog-less headlamp'

The headlamp of Kia Motors' K9 developed by Hyundai Mobis / Courtesy of Hyundai Mobis

By Nam Hyun-woo

Hyundai Mobis said Sunday it has developed a plastic material which prevents cloudy headlights, and has applied it to all its headlights.

According to the company, the new plastic came after 18 months of research with Initz, an SK Chemicals subsidiary, and is the world first material to solve one of the long existed challenges for global auto parts makers.

Headlamps become foggy and discolored as internal heat, which goes up to 200 degrees Celsius, inside the lamp generates gas from the plastic lenses. This hampers the look of a car's face and disperses light to affect the beam's range and nighttime visibility.

Hyundai Mobis said it added glass fiber and other high molecular weight additives into its existing plastic materials, which allowed the new material to be strong and resistant to fog.

During the process, Hyundai Mobis localized the supplies of headlamp materials, that were imported, and pursued patents both at home and abroad.

The firm said it has applied the material to all of its headlamp lines in manufacturing, as it could be applied to production immediately after development.

With the new material, Hyundai Mobis expects a faster expansion in its contracts with overseas automakers.

“Since headlamps are key components that also complete a car's look, we believe those with the new material have an advantage in the global market,” a Hyundai Mobis official said.

“Hyundai Mobis will continue its efforts to develop new technology and materials for headlamps for cars of the future.”

Headlamps have been the company's core export item. Since 2010, the firm has won headlamp orders worth $3.4 billion.

The official added that the company plans to develop new materials which enable the lamp to reveal hidden patterns depending on the environment and new pigments that can change color according to the driver's preference.