Electricians... and Xenon?

Not your everyday combination, you might think

The electricians who are jointly affiliated with vindElektricien.be have chosen xenon for their work vans in droves.

The trigger was a road safety study carried out by a Flemish marketing agency. "It turned out that work vans in particular often get damaged because of poor visibility. On average, that costs the business owner around 200 euros a year," says Frank Vanderschuuren of the research agency. The affiliated electricians therefore decided to switch to Pilot Xenon en masse, the kit that came out on top in the light test.

Easy installation and safe on the road

"We electricians deal with safety and technology every day. The Pilot Xenon solution is textbook stuff. Easy to install, and the improvement in visibility is significant," says Jean of Elektricien Antwerpen. The business owners' vans range from Volvo, BMW and VW to Peugeot. "In every one of them we can speak of an improvement. We arrive at our customers neatly and safely!"

Xenon work vans: less damage thanks to xenon lighting

The study compared several business owners with work vans. Those with xenon in their vehicle had far fewer accidents over the past 3 years. The owners who have now made the switch are pleasantly surprised: "For a minimal investment, you simply drive a lot more comfortably on the road!"

Browse all xenon kits and the xenon lighting from Hilox.

Also interesting: Fleet of trucks fitted with xenon lighting

What should you look out for with xenon in a work van?

A work van often racks up a lot of miles, including early in the morning and late in the evening. Good light counts for extra then. If you want to fit your own work van with xenon, keep an eye on these points:

• The fitting. Every make and model has its own fitting. A Volvo, BMW, VW or Peugeot may each need a different kit. You will find the fitting size on the old bulb or in the owner's manual.
• CAN-bus. Newer work vans monitor their lighting through the on-board computer. In that case, choose a kit with a CAN-bus module so you do not get error messages. Also read why you want to avoid a faulty on-board computer caused by xenon.
• Load. A heavily loaded van sits lower at the back, which makes the headlights point higher. Use the headlight levelling control if your vehicle has one.
• Lifespan. Lots of miles means lots of burning hours. So look at the stated lifespan of the bulbs. According to the specifications, the H7 xenon bulb Hilox Evolution II Black has a lifespan of 3,600 hours, at 35 W and 4,200 lumens per bulb.

Please note: according to the product information, the Hilox Evolution II Black kits have no ECE approval or E-mark and are not intended for public roads, but for the track and private grounds.

Converting several work vans at once

The electricians of vindElektricien.be converted several work vans of different makes. If you have a small fleet yourself, a fixed routine helps:

1. Make a list for each vehicle with make, model, year of manufacture and fitting.
2. Check for each vehicle whether it has lighting monitoring or CAN-bus.
3. Convert one vehicle first and drive it for a few days before ordering the rest.
4. Schedule the conversion for a moment when the vehicles are standing still anyway.
5. Keep a spare bulb in stock, so that a failure does not take a vehicle off the road straight away.

For larger vehicles with a 24 volt electrical system, read more in xenon lighting for trucks.

After the conversion: clean, properly aimed headlights

More light only helps if it lands on the road. Two things make the difference:

• A properly aimed beam. Park the vehicle on level ground in front of a wall and check that the cut-off line of the low beam sits at the same height on the left and the right. After fitting, have the beam aimed and check that your vehicle still meets the APK requirements (the Dutch roadworthiness test); if you are unsure, ask the RDW (the Dutch vehicle authority) or your inspector.
• Clear headlight lenses. Dull or yellowed headlights scatter the light and dazzle oncoming drivers. Read weathered headlights: how to make them look like new to find out how to restore them.

Also check regularly that both bulbs are working and have the same colour. Preferably replace xenon bulbs in pairs.