Audi has introduced OLED taillights into its latest electric concept car A6

With OLED technology, Audi A6 e-tron drivers can adjust different tail colors to suit their mood.

Recently, the Germany carmaker Audi has applied OLED technology to taillights on a new electric concept car, the A6 e-tron “sportback” model.

Last year, Audi installed OLED taillights into its Q5 luxury SUV, proud of its customizable light signatures. That is to say, Audi drivers can program them to display different looks and patterns from the back. Also, Audi was also developing a system so that the OLED taillights could provide warnings to other motorists about road conditions. All of these improvements has also be suitable for A6 e-tron.

For e-tron being electric model, the OLED tailights also feature in being known to be thinner than common car LED lights today. That thinness can achieve a more aerodynamic design, which in turn plays into the overall aerodynamic design of the car as a whole, aimed not just at aesthetics but also at motor efficiency and speed.

Rochester, NY-based OLEDWorks is a leading provider of OLEDs, and will supply OLEDs to Audi on future models.  Audi had previously worked with Osram on OLED taillights.

The A6 e-tron concept car has other lighting features, such as the slimmest programmable LED headlights. Its smart headlights can illuminate the road clearly and and intelligently suited to the traffic situation,weather,surroundings and communicate with other road users. A ultra bright,homogeneous and high-contrast OLED tailights will improve the safty on the roads greatly.

There are still other lighting features on the A6 concept car, for example, LEDs mounted on the side of the car that project entertainment images onto the ground when the door opens; LED turn light signals that project onto the road surface; and video games that project onto a wall in front of the car using a smartphone.

OLEDs are different from LEDs in that OLEDs are a thin material that entirely lights up in response to an electric charge. LEDs are single light points. The thinness of OLEDs would allow them to become part of the fabric of everything from lamps and fixtures to ceilings, walls, furniture, fashion,etc in future.

But like with taillights at Audi A6 model, the technology continues to slowly entered into general illumination settings, such as in refrigerators and recreational vehicles.