Smart adaptive headlights are finally coming to the US
Audi RS E-tron GT has an option for the company's Digital Matrix LED, an Adaptive Driving Beam technology that's not currently available in the US model. | Photo by Andrew Hawkins / The Verge The National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced a final ruling this week that permits automakers to finally add Adaptive Driving Beams (ADB) for vehicles on US roads.
Adaptive headlights, available on many vehicles in Europe, Canada, and Japan, have been prohibited in the US due to rigid and outdated federal regulations. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (standard no. 108) specified requirements for lamps and reflectors dating back to 1967, which standardized binary hi / low beams, which as a result stifled newer headlight technology.
But now, after the passage of President Joe Biden's $1 trillion infrastructure bill late last year, NHTSA was directed to amend FMVSS no. 108. The agency was given two years to...