Not so with Hyundai: The new Tucson is strongly reminiscent of the Hyundai SUV study Vision T Plug-in-Hybrid Concept, which was unveiled at the 2019 Los Angeles Auto Show. The concept vehicle is groundbreaking for two reasons: On the one hand, it showed the new Hyundai design philosophy Sensuous Sportiness for the first time, and on the other hand, it presented a self-assured radiator grille with the new so-called parametric hidden lights. This technology, in which the LED daytime running lights are optically seamlessly integrated into the radiator grille, can now be found in the production model of the new Hyundai Tucson.
If the daytime running lights are switched off, the components cannot be seen. They integrate seamlessly into the diamond-cut look of the radiator grille and the front of the Tucson appears to be made of one piece. Only when the daytime running lights are switched on do the hidden, partially mirrored daytime running lights become visible. Five of them are located on each side of the grill, one of them also functions as a blinker.
The size of the LED lights was a challenge
When the new Hyundai Tucson is started, the ten LED elements integrated in the radiator grille light up. The size of the individual lights was a particular challenge for the engineers when it came to integrating the daytime running lights inconspicuously into their surroundings. With smaller LED elements, chrome layers are used between the LED and the light glass for this camouflage effect. The chrome layer is applied to the LEDs in different thicknesses and spacings using a laser etching process. The light looks like a chrome-plated decorative element, but is still translucent. This method can also be used for larger LED elements, but the luminaires and the parts surrounding them would no longer form a unit when the lights were switched off.
Half-mirror technology was therefore used for the large daytime running lights of the new Hyundai Tucson: a thin metal layer is applied to the inside of the outer light glass. When the light is switched off, this layer makes the lighting element look exactly like the surrounding parametric shapes without lighting. However, if electricity flows, the special coating is able to let part of the light through in an even distribution.
Long-term heat resistance and color fidelity
In order to improve the system in detail and especially the reliability, the Hyundai engineers simulated the toughest environmental conditions and carried out tests under extreme temperatures inside and outside the light units. The aim was to avoid cracks due to the heat-induced expansion of the material. In order to achieve optimal heat resistance, a nickel-chromium mixture was chosen for the partially transparent coating. In addition, dark chrome colors in the radiator grille ensure both durability and color accuracy of all components. In the end, there was the realization: The Parametric Hidden Lights of the new Hyundai Tucson permanently withstand even demanding everyday and environmental conditions.
The additional nickel-chromium coating on the glass means that less light penetrates and the efficiency of the light-emitting diodes is reduced. It was therefore necessary to increase the overall brightness, also in order to comply with the current safety regulations. Hyundai has increased the output and the number of LEDs for its hidden light technology and, with this solution, has even exceeded the prescribed brightness.
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