The 2015 Ford F-150 will feature LED headlamps that use 63 percent less energy than halogen bulbs in competitor trucks and last over five times longer than conventional lamps, the company says.
Ford says the bulbs also offer superior light quality and aesthetics.
The F-150 is the only light-duty pickup truck with LED headlamps on the road today, the company says.
Ford developed the lamps in partnership with lighting developers Osram and Flex-N-Gate. The lens for the F-150 headlamp uses 16 optical surfaces and 80 facets on the lens face to spread light evenly, a design that Ford says better illuminates the road.
Headlamps often need to be replaced long before the end of a vehicle’s life, Ford says. But it expects the F-150 headlamps to last as long or longer than the truck itself.
Ford tested the lamps by shooting stones, rock salt and ice at them, exposing them to extreme sun and soaking them in saltwater.
The company introduced the latest F-150 at the Detroit Auto Show in January. The truck is up to 700 pounds lighter than earlier models because of military-grade, aluminum alloys in the body, and features a lightweight 2.7-liter EcoBoost engine and start-stop technology.
The 2014 F-150 comes with the option of a gaseous-fuel prep kit, making it capable of running on compressed natural gas or liquefied petroleum gas.
The truck also uses sustainable materials include rice hulls, soybeans, and recycled cotton, carpet, tires, bottles and polypropylene.