Future Lighting Solutions Donates LUXEON Rebel LEDs for Solar Car Project

“The LEDs available to us for our solar-powered car three years ago were larger and nowhere near as bright as the LUXEON Rebel LEDs available today. These newer power LEDs take a big step forward in power and usability,” said Jeff Hammer, a UM instructor and solar car project faculty advisor. “This contribution from Future Lighting Solutions played an important role in optimizing the vehicle’s signal lighting, minimizing power requirements, and helping us assemble the resources to complete this year’s solar car project.”
UM students utilized red, amber and white LUXEON LEDs for all signal, front and forward lighting on the vehicle because of their low energy consumption, compact form factor and high light output. The energy savings is critical for a car that must run entirely on solar power for a 10-day race with no recharging permitted, and the small footprint allows the maximum surface area on the vehicle for solar cells that convert sunlight into electricity.

The LUXEON Rebel LEDs are being used for headlights, taillights, turn signals, brake lights, and strobe lights which are required to be flashing at all times to ensure visibility of the 3-foot-tall car on public roads. The team used 54 LEDs for the overall signal lighting system and 54 to build the backup components required for the project, with the rest reserved for future use.
“We supported UM’s solar car project as part of a continuing effort to provide engineering students with access to the latest lighting technologies,” said Lawrence Madanda, Marketing Director of Future Lighting Solutions. “We believe that the engineering solutions developed in programs like the one at UM for the solar car will result in solid-state lighting solutions that help lower energy consumption and are more environmentally sustainable.”
The UM solar car, named Centaurus, was designed and built by a 30-student team from the Institute of Technology in the University of Minnesota’s college of engineering, physical sciences and mathematics. Construction took more than 30,000 hours and was funded through cash donations and in-kind donations of parts and materials.
Twenty-six international teams will compete in the 2008 North American Solar Challenge, sponsored by Toyota. The UM team placed second place in the last competition in 2005. More information about the University of Minnesota’s Solar Vehicle Project is available at www.srp.umn.edu www.FutureLightingSolutions.com

LUXEON Rebel is the smallest surface-mountable power LED available today, with the industry's best lumens per package, highest light density (lumens per mm2), and highest packing density. Special packaging technology dramatically reduces the size of the LED, yielding a footprint area 75% smaller than other surface mount power LEDs. More information about the LUXEON Rebel is available at http://www.futurelightingsolutions.com/products/luxeon/luxeon_rebel.asp

About Future Lighting Solutions
Future Lighting Solutions is a leading provider of LED lighting components and solution support for lighting designers and OEMs interested in taking advantage of solid state lighting technology. Future Lighting Solutions provides LED lighting knowledge, resources, programs, partners, solutions and logistics support to promote the development of LED products and installations. The company is a division of Future Electronics, the third largest electronic components distributor in the world. Both companies operate in 167 locations in 39 countries in the Americas, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit www.futurelightingsolutions.com or www.futureelectronics.com