| |
|
The idea of HID bulbs first started back in 1705, more than 170 years before Thomas Edison brought the light bulb to America. Advancements in technology allowed the introduction of Automotive Xenon headlamps in 1991, as an option on the BMW 7-series. This first system used an unshielded, non-replaceable burner designated D1 — a designation that would be recycled years later for an entirely different type of burner. The AC ballast was about the size of a building brick. The first American-made effort at HID headlamps was on the 1996-98 Lincoln Mark-VIII, which used reflector headlamps with an unmasked, integral-igniter burner made by Sylvania and designated Type 9500. This was the only system to operate on DC; reliability proved inferior to the AC systems. The Type 9500 system was not used on any other models, and was discontinued after Osram's takeover of Sylvania. All HID headlamps worldwide presently use the standardized AC-operated bulbs and ballasts. |
