The tech can locate a person that is almost 184 feet away at night.
Buyers 2020 Lexus RX 450h BladeScan adaptive LED headlights will now be available in Europe. They will adjust to the road ahead better than the current active lights. The feature will not be available in the United States.
Bladescan LED headlights are able to control the illumination within 0.7 degrees of Lexus’ adaptive lamps. This is compared to 1.7 degrees for Lexus. This allows for light to be directed to areas often difficult to see, such as the sides of the road. The tech can also recognize pedestrians at night, detecting them within 183.7 feet (56 metres) compared to the current tech’s 105 feet (332 meters).
The Bladescan headlights are packaged by Lexus in a unique way. Instead of projecting outwardly, the company places the LED array in a corner of the lamp. Then they shine light diagonally across the two rotating blade-shaped mirrors, hence the tech’s nickname. The system can adjust the brightness of the LEDs to match the spin mirrors by switching them on and off. This video demonstrates how it works.
The pricing information for the RX refresh for Europe is not yet available from Lexus, which includes the cost for getting the Bladescan lights.
The refreshed 2020 RX is still available in the U.S., with significant upgrades even though the new headlights aren’t yet available. Exterior styling is similar, but with minor modifications. With the addition of Android Auto and Apple Carplay, interior changes are even more important. The larger 12.3-inch screen comes with better voice recognition. The safety suite has been updated to include better low-light pedestrian detection and lane-tracing assistance. Pre-collision warning is now capable of detecting bicyclists as well as pedestrians and vehicles.