New Ford Mondeo has smarter, safer lighting

The all-new Ford Mondeo is showing drivers more of the road thanks to the car's adaptive front lighting system (AFS) which beams light round corners. AFS incorporates halogen lamps linked to sensors which detect steering input and can swivel up to 15 degrees. This system improves visibility when negotiating tight bends, particularly on roads where the only light source is the car's headlamps. In comparative tests between conventional halogen reflector lamps and AFS, the AFS lamps cast light an additional 10 metres into the bend. Allied to static corner lighting, AFS greatly improves visibility.Static, low level cornering lights are another feature of AFS. They are automatically turned on when the car is travelling below 37mph, and the steering wheel turns at an angle of at least 30 degrees. This helps to avoid accidents in reduced visibility and is particularly useful during tight manoeuvres such as turning into driveways. New Mondeo can also be specified with Bi-Xenon lamps which include static cornering lights, plus automatic headlamp levelling and washer jets. Bi-Xenons offer twice the light density on the road at one-third of the energy input of conventional lights.
Test show that while AFS headlamps have a range of 155m, Bi-Xenons illuminate up to 245m of the road ahead. Karsten Foese, Ford adaptive lighting programme leader, said: “The safety advantage is clear: pedestrians, animals or objects on the road can all be seen earlier when entering a bend or manoeuvring. Adaptive lighting offers greatly increased visibility for the driver, and reduced glare for oncoming drivers.”