Could the latest in OLED lighting be heading into an RV?

OLED proponents have long struggled to make substantial inroads into the lighting market, but they continue to push, and to identify new segments where the technology could be just right. The latest example: OLEDWorks wants to outfit recreational vehicles — yes, RVs — with the technology’s soft and sleek illumination.

It’s a market that excites the Rochester, NY-based company with growth potential, because as director of user experience Kathleen Vaeth noted in a recent blog post, RV sales are on the rise as people rethink their vacations in the era of social distancing and international travel restrictions, and start heading to national parks and the like.

On top of that, thin and flexible OLEDs are simpatico with modern RV interior design which Vaeth notes, has come on in “leaps and bounds.”

First, our obligatory, quick refresher: OLEDs (organic light-emitting diodes) are different from LEDs in that OLEDs are a thin material that entirely lights up in response to an electric charge, whereas LEDs are single light points. Invented at Rochester-based Eastman Kodak in 1987 (OLEDWorks was founded 10 years ago by former Kodak scientists), OLEDs have long failed to live up to the expectation that they will revolutionize lighting by literally weaving into the fabric of everything from lamps and fixtures to ceilings, walls, furniture, fashion, building façades, you name it. One problem is that the design of LED fixtures continues to improve; and OLEDs have trailed LEDs in energy efficiency.

But OLEDs are declining in price, improving in efficiency and slowly creeping into general illumination.

They are also finding specialty, niche, and architectural design uses. OLEDWorks will be supplying tail lights to Audi, for example.

RVs could be next, if OLEDWorks has its way. The company certainly thinks there’s a big need.

“The interior design has progressed significantly in recent years, allowing travelers to bring the comforts of home along with them,” waxes Vaeth. “High-quality cabinets, quartz countertops and spacious kitchens, leather seating, flat-screen TVs, air conditioning, solar power, and Wi-Fi connectivity are common features in today’s models. But what about comfortable lighting?”

Of course, she has the answer: “The artificial lighting in these units have not progressed as much by comparison. At OLEDWorks, we think that this is the next frontier for designers to address and continue the revolution of the indoor RV space.”

Vaeth points out that OLEDs, with their slim profile, fit the tight spaces of an RV, and also reduce overall vehicle weight, which reduces fuel consumption.

“OLED lighting panels, measuring 1.4 millimeters in thickness and weighing less than 40 grams, offer an ultracompact and lightweight form factor that opens up the possibility of easily integrating lighting on horizontal and vertical surfaces, or in compact locations such as under cabinets and in drawers,” she notes.

The thinness provides an aesthetic complemented by a mirror finish in the off state “that can be used to accent the space, or blend into the background,” Vaeth adds. She also trots out an attribute that OLED supporters often ascribe to the technology: The light is soft, diffuse, and glare free. Likewise, she notes that OLEDWorks’ thin panels avoid the blue spectrum that can undermine sleep when used at night, and that it avoids ultraviolet (UV) wavelengths which can be damaging.

This makes OLEDs compatible with lighting trends “emphasizing lighting design for sustainability and human health,” she notes.

Vaeth’s blog noticeably does not identify any signed-up RV customers. As OLED vendors hit the RV highway in search of deals, they will undoubtedly run into LED competitors, who offer many similar benefits, with LEDs probably still maintaining an edge in efficiency and in longevity. OLEDs might just have the leg up in design advantages, especially considering the space restrictions of an RV.

Describing the state of RV lighting today with technologies including incandescent, compact fluorescent, and LEDs, Vaeth notes, “Most fixtures are small and compact but tend to be integrated into ceilings as recessed lighting or circular flush-mounted fixtures with push button switches. Specialized fixtures integrated for closer, more flexible illumination in spaces such sleeping areas can often be overly bright, or too dim. This can make for an illumination experience, even in the most state-of-the-art models, that is uneven with sharp contrast and shadows, and high in glare, which can cause discomfort and eye strain.”

To paraphrase Vaeth, there’s nothing like an OLED to take care of those shortcomings.

Wi-Fi. Quartz countertops. Flat-screen TVs. OLEDs. Ah, the great outdoors.

MARK HALPER is a contributing editor for LEDs Magazine, and an energy, technology, and business journalist ([email protected]).

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