Opel & TU Darmstadt Start Close Cooperation In Light Technology!

Opel and the Technical University of Darmstadt (TU Darmstadt) have begun joint research into new lighting technologies. The cooperation is part of the global Stellantis research network with respected universities. In currently 15 so-called “OpenLabs”, scientific knowledge is gained for use in technology systems of future vehicle generations. The strategic partnership with TU Darmstadt, the first Stellantis OpenLab in Germany, will enable a new era of lighting technologies. In addition, Stellantis is funding three doctoral students at the university’s Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, initially for the next four years.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

“Advanced adaptive light systems do so much more than just illuminate the road according to the prevailing conditions,” said Opel CEO Uwe Hochgeschurtz. “They are linked to numerous assistance systems and make driving safer and more comfortable. Together with TU Darmstadt, we want to develop all-new lighting systems and bring them to the market. We are pleased to be working with the science and research experts from TU Darmstadt.”

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The Pixel-Vizor front end of the Opel Manta GSe ElektroMOD already demonstrates how safety in road traffic can be increased via innovative lighting systems. “We take a holistic view of the subject of light. Light has great relevance in many areas of the automobile, which goes far beyond the headlamps,” explained Philipp Röckl, Lead Innovation Engineer Exterior Lighting. The research in the OpenLab at TU Darmstadt, therefore, focuses on the further development of communication and driver assistance systems, adaptive headlamps systems, rear lights, interior lighting, and light sources in general.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The funded research will include an intelligent, self-adapting headlamp and tail-lamp system that optimally adapts to the environment and traffic situation as well as other influencing factors. Initial tests with a prototype are already planned for the end of the year. “We want to revolutionize automotive lighting with this technology, and accompany the development through all stages, from research to prototypes and testing to the finished product,” said Professor Tran Quoc Khanh, Head of the Department of Adaptive Lighting Systems and Visual Processing at the TU Darmstadt.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

For both cooperation partners, the new Open Lab means a win-win situation on the way to future light generations: Stellantis can draw on the expertise of the renowned TU Darmstadt to transfer research findings into vehicle systems and the TU’s doctoral students can use the automotive company’s technical infrastructure to test their developments in the field.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

“We have been working with the experts in Professor Khanh’s field for many years. This cooperation in the field of lighting technology will be intensified and strengthened in the long term by the OpenLab,” adds Philipp Röckl. The current research project is initially scheduled for four years. However, the aim is to establish strategic cooperation for the next ten years and beyond.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

“If everything goes as planned, the first vehicles with the lighting technologies developed with Stellantis will be seen on the roads by 2028”, said Professor Khanh. “They will have one of the most intelligent lighting technologies in the world.”

Source: Stellantis