Xenon lighting is created via xenon gas, an odorless and colorless gas, heated via a very small amount of electricity. The result is lighting that rivals and exceeds most of the halogen light sources you are likely familiar with.
Xenon lighting has been popularized primarily as a headlight source in many modern vehicles. Xenon HID kits can be found for older makes and models, allowing you to replace your vehicle’s lighting altogether.
But are xenon HID benefits worth their disadvantages?
What is a xenon headlight?
Xenon is a chemical element (atomic number 54) that is in the family of noble or inert gases. Similar to its relatives (such as neon), xenon is very good at generating lots of light.
In this case… xenon emits short wavelength ultraviolet radiation, which make intense, bright bluey-white light when it comes into contact with electricity.
In xenon headlights, the bulb contains (surprise!) xenon gas (instead of halogen like the regular bulbs) that emits that bluey light once switched on. Cars fitted with xenon lights are fairly distinctive on the road as these headlights are essentially producing light three times brighter than the halogen bulbs.
The xenon also aids in the brightness of the light due to its properties and helps reach a temperature that the light gives off and allows you to see a beam of high intensity.
The other really important differing factor between xenon lights and halogen bulbs, which we have been using for decades, is the function of the gas: in xenon lights the gases itself is part of how the light is produced, contrary to only serving as a medium for a halogen bulb filament to prolong its life.
Xenon bulbs work like any electric bulb, but with an electrical arc between the two electrodes, instead of a filament in a halogen bulb. Xenon headlights, otherwise known as a High-Intensity Discharge (HID) lamp, create a white-blue light that is around 2 to 3 times brighter than the halogen bulb, has a life of about 2,500 hours and is energy efficient.
Another thing that you may come across is bi-xenon headlights as an option for your new car. This means that there are xenon bulbs for both high beam and low beam lights, instead of a halogen bulb for high-beaming with standard xenons for the low-beam operation.
How do they work?
A xenon (HID) lightbulb is quartz or glass (50% of the bulbs) with tungsten electrodes sealing each end with a gas mix inside. The function for the lights integrates over three steps:
- Ignition. A high voltage pulse creates a spark that ionizes the xenon gas and creates a connection of current between both electrodes.
- Heats up. The temperature climbs rapidly and ionizes, or reduces the electrical resistance of the gas mix, between the electrodes.
- Bright light. The ballast switches to steady state (or continuous flux) so that the light does not fail. The ballast is a capacitor that generates or regulates the high voltage required by the xenon lights to operate.
The xenon gas is only used during the start up to give instant light while the other gases heat up to their operating temperature. Even so, it may take a few seconds for the light to turn on completely.
Advantages of Xenon Lights
It’s clear that there are more advantages to xenon illumination than disadvantages for your vehicle, here are the top 4 advantages to know about.
Brighter
Xenon lights are significantly brighter than your halogen bulbs, some people say that the lights are so bright they feel as if it’s daytime at night.
Whiter
The xenon HID light bulb has a very white lighting, and are superior in illuminating a darker environment than halogen lights.
Energy Efficient
Since xenon lighting is gas powered as an energy source, it provides energy savings by using much less electricity to produce light. This means they will use less energy than a halogen bulb.
Longer Lifecycle
This coincides with the third point above because xenon lighting is energy efficient, it will last longer too.
Disadvantages of Xenon Lights
There are a few disadvantages to xenon lights. Below are the 2 biggest cons.
Expensive
Xenon light HID bulbs are more expensive than halogen light bulbs. In addition, for many makes and models, it is possible to buy a separate xenon light HID kit that gives you the option to add xenon lighting.
Of course, this involves additional costs for the kit as well as installation costs if you are not a mechanic.
Glare
There is a lot of glare from the xenon lights as they are bright lights. When other drivers see the lights in their mirrors it could impair their ability to drive, annoy them or worse.
If you locate the correct car dealer and plan on purchasing a new car, then they may offer you the xenon light HID upgrade to the vehicle.
The benefit of having this done this way is that it should allow the dealer to install the xenon lighting into the HID lighting kit, which is generally going to be much more beneficial in the long run than adding an aftermarket kit at a later time.