By Erin Sund
Grote Industries, creators of the industry’s first light-emitting diode (LED) lamp, unveiled on Thursday, March 22, at the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Ky., its LED WhiteLight series for interior and forward lighting applications.
To demonstrate the brightness of the WhiteLight LED technology, Grote crafted three 2000 lumen white LEDs and strapped them to the front of a Baja 1000 race vehicle. The lights were said to cut through the course dust and silt more effectively than the vehicle’s overhead incandescent lights; they also outlasted the vehicle.
The company developed cooler white light technology to eliminate the need for fans. Grote’s white LED forward lighting and work lamps will be available by the end of the year.
Grote also showcased its new warm white LEDs for interior cab use. The lights curtail the harsh, stark lighting preferable for trailer and reefer applications and instead release a softer, mood light that reduces eye stress, said Dominic Grote, vice president of sales and marketing.
Grote also displayed its military-level LEDs offering dual operating modes: Standard WhiteLight illumination mode and tactical mode, which uses a combination of red/white or blue/white color to allow military personnel to see without being seen during a blackout time.
