The futuristic 2018 Buick Enspire concept crossover, unveiled at Auto Shanghai earlier this year, introduced a number of novel, high-tech features intended to show where the GM premium brand is heading. Among the features is a pair of smart Organic Light-Emitting Diode (OLED) taillights that can communicate braking intensity to other cars on the road, so that other drivers know whether the crossover is coming to a gentle stop in preparation for a turn, or braking hard to avoid an imminent collision.
Rather than using luminosity in order to communicate the severity of the braking action, the 2018 Buick Enspire concept’s OLED taillights let other drivers know how hard the driver is coming to a stop through the use of flickering; the faster the flicker, the harder the braking event. This ensures that the taillights can always clearly be seen, making for a safer commute, especially at night or in fog when visibility suffers the most.
The use of OLEDs in the Buick Enspire concept’s taillights represents still another leap over more conventional taillight builbs – even newer LED taillights. They’re more easily recycled than LEDs, and they can be made quite a bit more compact; both attributes make them more environmentally friendly than other traditional light sources.
That said, OLEDs may not be entirely ready to infiltrate the automotive world just yet, as they tend to have a shorter lifespan than conventional LEDs, and they’re currently costlier to produce – although with further development, they could theoretically become far cheaper. Worst of all, they’re not especially durable, meaning that installing them in a production taillight housing, where they might be subjected to extraordinary heat, cold, and moisture, is probably a no go.
About The 2018 Buick Enspire Concept
The Buick Enspire concept is a prototype crossover utility vehicle that bowed at Auto Shanghai 2018 in April. Intended as “an exploration of Buick’s bold design ideas and innovative technologies for future mobility,” the concept boasts a futuristic, all-electric Buick “eMotion” powertrain, with a total peak output of 550 horsepower. That’s enough for a 0-to-60-mph sprint in an estimated 4.0 seconds, and a driving range of 370 miles on a single charge. Fast-charging can take the battery from 0- to 80-percent charge in 40 minutes.
Additional technologies previewed by the 2018 Buick Enspire concept include facial-recognition unlocking, an augmented-reality head-up display, and a shock-absorbing structure in the seating. Stay tuned to GM Authority for more Buick Enspire news.
Comments
I’ve always thought of this as a good idea, especially in heavy traffic in southern California. Everyone is braking, all the time. So you just sort of flow with traffic and kinda toss the brake signals, and instead use judgement instead. I’ve had a few close calls myself, and knowing brake intensity would definitely help.
I don’t want self driving cars. But I want it to be basically impossible to hit the car in front of you.
It would be nice if they also blinked when a tailgating car was following too close.