Development and Trends in Vehicle Lighting: An Interview with Brightek Optoelectronic

Smart vehicle lighting Brightek's new directions in vehicle lighting

2024-10-08 The interview was conducted by Johann Wiesböck* | Translated by AI 5 min Reading Time

Related Vendors

Light plays a crucial role in the automotive industry, as it evokes emotions and simultaneously ensures safety. Brightek Optoelectronic from Taiwan offers lighting applications not just for vehicles. In an interview with Chih-Hung Tzeng, he provides interesting insights into trends and technologies.

Ambient vehicle lighting: With Brightek's iCLed LED series, vehicles become not only safer but the lighting also allows for the creation of emotions.(Image: Brightek) — Ambient vehicle lighting: With Brightek's iCLed LED series, vehicles become not only safer but the lighting also allows for the creation of emotions.
(Image: Brightek)

LEDs and sensors not only make the driving experience safer but also more personalized. Especially the interior lighting in cars has evolved into a central element. The Taiwanese company Brightek Optoelectronic has 23 years of experience with LED components and sensor applications. The company provides its customers with customized developments for the automotive industry and beyond, enabling car manufacturers to enhance vehicle aesthetics and functionality through tailored lighting solutions that improve user experience and safety.

In the interview, Chih-Hung Tzeng, General Manager of Brightek, provides fascinating insights into current developments, challenges, and visions surrounding smart vehicle lighting and Brightek's role in the global electronics industry.

Mr. Tzeng, what is your main motivation for exhibiting at German trade fairs such as Embedded World and Electronica?

Johann Wiesböck, former editor-in-chief of ELEKTRONIKPRAXIS (left), and Chih-Hung Tzeng, General Manager of Brightek, discuss Brightek's new directions in vehicle lighting.
(Image:Brightek)

Germany is a central player in the global automotive and electronics industries, known for engineering and innovation. With the growing demand for intelligent vehicles, smart appliances, and surveillance systems, German companies in the supply chain must establish strong partnerships with reliable electronics manufacturers.

Companies like Brightek, based in Taiwan, are at the forefront of these technological developments. We believe that German and European companies can remain competitive and meet evolving market demands by collaborating with us, leveraging our expertise in electronics manufacturing and our added value.

Brightek boasts over 23 years of experience in the optoelectronic industry and is a leading provider of IC-LEDs for ambient lighting in vehicles and smart devices. Our iCLed series enhances comfort in connected vehicles. In addition, we offer a wide range of sensors and monitoring systems tailored for vehicles, homes, and businesses. Our products not only improve safety and comfort but also contribute to a greater sense of security. Brightek is a reliable partner for European brands looking to participate in the revolution of smart living.

Lighting is an intuitive method to personalize smart vehicles.

Chih-Hung Tzeng, General Manager Brightek Optoelectronics

What is your latest and best product for the German and European market?

Lighting is best suited for personalizing smart vehicles. That's why automakers are heavily invested in designing high-quality, aesthetically pleasing ambient lighting. For more than five years, we have been working closely with automakers to understand and address their specific challenges.

Our new EVO iCLed series was developed to solve issues with ambient lighting. These LEDs provide precise color reproduction and brightness to meet the diverse requirements at different installation locations in the vehicle. Additionally, they withstand voltage surges in the vehicle and offer exceptional color consistency.

Please tell us about three outstanding features of this product!

The various features of the EVO iCLed LED series.
(Image:Brightek)

The EVO iCLed series offers four key features. Firstly, it includes 16-bit PWM color mixing, allowing for up to 281 trillion color variations for seamless color transitions. In terms of brightness, the LED series achieves up to 7,000 mcd (millicandela), which can penetrate various surfaces in the vehicle, making this series also suitable for exterior lighting. Concerning color consistency, the series offers 2 SDCM (Standard Deviation of Color Matching), which means minimally perceivable color deviations, thereby exceeding the high aesthetic requirements of luxury vehicles. Finally, the self-diagnosis feature for temperature and voltage should be mentioned. This ensures that our LEDs function stably up to 125°C and provide crucial overheating protection. These features make the EVO iCLed series ideal for advanced automotive applications where performance and aesthetic quality are paramount.

Additionally, we offer the UPP (Ultimate PWM Program) software, which allows for precise color calibration of the LEDs, essential for various materials and surfaces in the vehicle.

What target markets and segments do you focus on with your products?

The automotive sector is our main focus, particularly with RGB lighting for smart cockpits and ambient lighting. Additionally, we are targeting smart home applications, especially with surveillance systems for security purposes in homes and businesses.

What additional information would you like to provide about your new developments or future offerings?

50 percent of our revenue comes from the automotive sector. In addition to LED components, we offer comprehensive development services covering optical, mechanical, electrical, and thermal technologies. We are following the V2X trend and offer advanced sensor systems such as ToF (Time of Flight), VCSEL, and gas sensors.

For surveillance in smart homes and businesses, we offer infrared products in various designs. Our goal is to be a comprehensive provider of optoelectronic applications for the automotive and electronics industries. We are confident that we are a reliable partner in the German market, with advanced technologies and high-quality products.

How important is technical support for your products, particularly in Germany and Europe?

We collaborate with local distribution partners in Germany and other European countries, particularly in regions where most of our OEM customers for the automotive sector are located. The teams of our distribution partners and FAEs (Field Application Engineers) regularly visit our customers to ensure prompt service. As a manufacturer, we fully support our partners and customers and are always available for technical inquiries. This collaborative approach helps us maintain high levels of customer satisfaction and adapt quickly to their changing needs.

Subscribe to the newsletter now

Don't Miss out on Our Best Content

Business E-mail

Please enter a valid mailadress.

By clicking on „Subscribe to Newsletter“ I agree to the processing and use of my data according to the consent form (please expand for details) and accept the Terms of Use. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy. The consent declaration relates, among other things, to the sending of editorial newsletters by email and to data matching for marketing purposes with selected advertising partners (e.g., LinkedIn, Google, Meta)

Date: 08.12.2025

Naturally, we always handle your personal data responsibly. Any personal data we receive from you is processed in accordance with applicable data protection legislation. For detailed information please see our privacy policy.

Consent to the use of data for promotional purposes

I hereby consent to Vogel Communications Group GmbH & Co. KG, Max-Planck-Str. 7-9, 97082 Würzburg including any affiliated companies according to §§ 15 et seq. AktG (hereafter: Vogel Communications Group) using my e-mail address to send editorial newsletters. A list of all affiliated companies can be found here

Newsletter content may include all products and services of any companies mentioned above, including for example specialist journals and books, events and fairs as well as event-related products and services, print and digital media offers and services such as additional (editorial) newsletters, raffles, lead campaigns, market research both online and offline, specialist webportals and e-learning offers. In case my personal telephone number has also been collected, it may be used for offers of aforementioned products, for services of the companies mentioned above, and market research purposes.

Additionally, my consent also includes the processing of my email address and telephone number for data matching for marketing purposes with select advertising partners such as LinkedIn, Google, and Meta. For this, Vogel Communications Group may transmit said data in hashed form to the advertising partners who then use said data to determine whether I am also a member of the mentioned advertising partner portals. Vogel Communications Group uses this feature for the purposes of re-targeting (up-selling, cross-selling, and customer loyalty), generating so-called look-alike audiences for acquisition of new customers, and as basis for exclusion for on-going advertising campaigns. Further information can be found in section “data matching for marketing purposes”.

In case I access protected data on Internet portals of Vogel Communications Group including any affiliated companies according to §§ 15 et seq. AktG, I need to provide further data in order to register for the access to such content. In return for this free access to editorial content, my data may be used in accordance with this consent for the purposes stated here. This does not apply to data matching for marketing purposes.

Right of revocation

I understand that I can revoke my consent at will. My revocation does not change the lawfulness of data processing that was conducted based on my consent leading up to my revocation. One option to declare my revocation is to use the contact form found at https://contact.vogel.de. In case I no longer wish to receive certain newsletters, I have subscribed to, I can also click on the unsubscribe link included at the end of a newsletter. Further information regarding my right of revocation and the implementation of it as well as the consequences of my revocation can be found in the data protection declaration, section editorial newsletter.

Our executives regularly visit European customers to provide direct market support and gather feedback. We actively participate in European events, such as electronica, and are members of the ISELED Alliance, which plays a central role in the automotive sector in Europe.

In the long term, we plan to open branches in the EMEA region within the next two years to ensure even closer cooperation with our customers and partners.

Which partners and distributors do you collaborate with in Europe and Germany?

We have partners in Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Finland, and other countries to support the global requirements of our customers. Visit us at electronica 2024 in Munich in Hall B4 at Booth 365. (heh)

*Johann Wiesböck is a trade journalist and former editor-in-chief of ELEKTRONIKPRAXIS

This interview was first published on our sister website www.ELKEKTRONIKPRAXIS.de (German language)