Redefining intelligent headlamp systems for next-generation EVs

Premstaetten, Austria and Munich, Germany (July 24, 2025) – ams OSRAM, in cooperation with Marelli, has partnered with the Chinese EV manufacturer NIO to integrate ams OSRAM’s advanced EVIYOS™ HD25 intelligent multi-pixel LED solution used in Marelli's h-Digi® microLED modules into the NIO ET9, a premium electric executive sedan. This collaboration marks a significant milestone in the evolution of automotive lighting, offering OEMs a high-performance platform for intelligent, adaptive, and interactive headlamp systems.

The EVIYOS™ HD25 represents a technological leap forward in automotive lighting. At its core is a micro-LED matrix comprising 25,600 individually controllable light-emitting pixels. This architecture enables real-time adaptive beam shaping, allowing precise light distribution that dynamically adjusts to driving conditions. The system also supports road-surface projections, enabling the display of safety symbols and guidance cues directly onto the pavement. These capabilities transform the headlamp from a passive lighting element into an active communication interface between the vehicle, its driver, and the surrounding environment.

For automotive OEMs, the EVIYOS™ HD25 offers strategic advantages that go well beyond illumination. It provides a platform for brand differentiation through customizable light signatures and interactive projection features. The system enhances safety by improving visibility and enabling predictive lighting functions that respond to real-time data such as vehicle speed, steering angle, and road conditions. Furthermore, the solution is designed with future readiness in mind, supporting software-defined lighting features that can be updated over-the-air, allowing manufacturers to introduce new functionalities post-sale. Its modular design ensures compatibility with a wide range of vehicle architectures and segment classes, making it a versatile choice for both premium and upper mid-range models.

Enhanced by EVIYOS™’s high brightness and wide illumination range, the ET9’s headlights extend their maximum projection distance from the conventional 350–400 meters to 500 meters, significantly improving safety at high speeds. For mid- to low-speed driving (20–60 km/h), where high beams are not an option, but enhanced low-beam visibility is essential, the low beam ground brightness is increased by 50%, with the illumination range extending from 50 meters to 70 meters. This ensures safer driving in high-traffic urban environments.

On expressways, the ET9’s headlights can project a tracking light carpet that predicts the vehicle’s trajectory based on speed, steering angle, and road conditions ahead. This real-time projection of the vehicle’s path helps the driver to intuitively stay centered in the lane, aids in navigating narrow roads, and significantly enhances lane illumination, greatly improving driving safety.

At the end of 2024 a team of experts led by Dr. Norwin von Malm and Stefan Grötsch from ams OSRAM were honored with the German Future Award 2024 for the “Digital Light” – an LED matrix technology that turns car headlights into projectors. The first LED pixel arrays from ams OSRAM factories are being built into a brand new light source for adaptive driving beam (ADB) car headlamps, the EVIYOS® system. The LED technology developed by the team opens up new possibilities for innovative designs thanks to its high-resolution light distribution and its energy efficiency. As part of their Digital Light project, the researchers and their teams have completely rethought intelligent LED technology and established a basic technology that enables numerous new applications. 

EVIYOS™ HD 25 redefines the role of lighting in modern vehicles. For OEMs, it represents a strategic opportunity to lead in the era of intelligent mobility by transforming lighting into a dynamic, safety-enhancing, and brand-defining feature. By introducing this cutting-edge technology to China’s electric vehicle market for the first time through its partnership with NIO, ams OSRAM reinforces its commitment to working with Chinese EV manufacturers to drive innovation in intelligent automotive lighting.