HID headlights are so commonplace nowadays that most people expect to see them beaming down highways and back roads alike.  Pushed into the mainstream thanks to their quick adoption by car enthusiasts and popularity among luxury vehicle and sports car owners, HIDs have attained widespread use despite being only just two decades old.  Though they remain a performance and aesthetic upgrade on most vehicles (let’s face it,  you won’t be getting HIDs standard on the Civic or Corolla anytime soon), they’ve certainly come a long way from their more modest origins.

The first continent to experience that blinding luminosity on the roadways was Europe.  The BMW 7-Series featured Xenon HID headlights as an upgrade option starting in 1991.  Noted for their large HID ballasts and the initial uneasiness many other drivers had driving toward the lights, these early HID models would eventually slim down and be modified to be less jarring to oncoming traffic.  The United States would see xenons for the first time only a couple of years later, in 1993.

It wouldn’t be until the release of the 1996 model-year Lincoln Mark VIII that U.S.-made HIDs would appear on vehicle releases stateside, on the LSC edition.    This is notable for more than just being the origin of U.S. HIDs, however.  The Lincoln Mark VIII would utilize direct current-based HIDs, the only time DC HID systems would be used, as they’re considered less reliable than AC-based HIDs.  These DC-based HIDs were built by Sylvania, a lighting equipment developer.

As car enthusiasts began to become familiar with HIDs, they began seeing more widespread use by tuners looking to make their cars’ headlight displays stand out.  Still too expensive for most vehicle manufacturers to include standard, or even as an upgrade option, most HIDs in use outside of luxury vehicles were equipped by those impressed with the headlight’s brightness, efficiency, and unique custom colorization.  Generally, filters and other modifications were used to alter the appearance of headlights before HIDs.  Once it became known that xenon lights could emit a variety of colors without sacrificing brightness or lighting intensity, they only grew more popular.  Those desiring to set their cars apart from others could now choose from yellow, white, blue, and even purples headlights.

While HIDs became more popular with car enthusiasts, they became decidedly less so among many other drivers, frustrated with the glare produced by HID headlights during nighttime driving.  Eventually, proposals from the U.S. Department of Transportation and the National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration would target HID users, placing limits on the glare produced by these headlights.  To avoid being outlawed entirely, new beam leveling and lens cleaning equipment came to the market, reducing many of the negative effects associated with HIDs.

Currently, many dozens of vehicle models come with HID headlights standard, compared to under two-dozen popular models containing them by 1999.  Many Audi, BMW, and Lexus vehicles come with HIDs standard or as optional upgrades, while even Toyota, Volkswagen, and Land Rover models often come with them available as well.  As HIDs become standard on more and more vehicles, we may yet see them overtake halogens as the most popular headlight source.  But as of today, most of HID’s history is still yet unwritten.

By Troy Eaves

Troy is owner of HID Xenon Headllights http://www.hidxenonheadlights.com a full service online store. They are offering a discount of 35% to our readers, so check them out.

Please login to post your comments.

More Featured Articles