Seeing the light

For some time now, a recurring topic among friends has been about automotive lighting. What is better - HID or LED bulbs? Putting cost aside, I would hear friends reason out why they prefer a certain type of technology. I, personally am an old school kind of guy so I still use the old halogen type bulb in my cars. But I am tempted once in awhile to install either an HID or an LED system. One big benefit if you install either one is the load on the electrical system. Both HID and LED systems consume less electricity as compared to a halogen bulb. A traditional bulb uses a filament enclosed in a vacuum surrounded by glass. The challenge there is to find a filament that will convert electrical energy into light energy without burning itself out, but along with it you generate heat. A lot of the electrical energy is wasted on by way of the heat generated. In an HID (high intensity discharge) system, you bump up the voltage high enough and when it is discharged, the electricity jumps between two electrodes and the spark create a bright light. Something similar to Arc welding high voltage but with low amperage. Meanwhile, LED (light emitting diode) is a semiconductor specifically designed to emit light when current flows through it. This results to low power consumption and longer life expectancy. Ideal for use in applications requiring low power consumption, such as indicator lights in electronic items.

A challenge for LED is how to increase illumination without burning itself out.