Seoul Semiconductor's Sunlike LED is installed in Volvo's new EV

Seoul Semiconductor Co. Ltd., a South Korean LED light manufacturer, announced on Tuesday that Volvo's new electric sports utility vehicle (SUV) EX90 will adopt its natural lighting technology, "SunLike," for interior lighting. This is the first time the company's SunLike technology has been adopted for a car.

SunLike is a light-emitting diode (LED) developed by Seoul Semiconductor, which reproduces natural light as it is, and is a light technology that keeps the body's 24-hour circadian rhythm.

"In recent five years, we have confirmed through clinical studies with Harvard University, the University of Basel and Seoul National University that SunLike lighting can improve myopia, cell regeneration, memory enhancement and natural color reproduction," a Seoul Semiconductor official said.  

Regarding myopia improvement, the company conducted a "SunLike myopia effect study" with the Singapore Eye Research Institute (2020). In the "deep sleep experiment" (2019) with the University of Basel, the cell regeneration effect was confirmed. In the "light cognition performance test" (2021) with Harvard University, it was shown that problem-solving accuracy improved by 5% and speed increased by 3.2 times when using SunLike lighting.

"The spectrum of SunLike LED, which is similar to sunlight, highlights the natural materials and premium wood decoration of the Volvo EX90 without color distortion," Dan Fidgett, Volvo's manager in charge of color & material, said. "The introduction of SunLike LED is an example of introducing innovative technology for providing customers with a new premium car interior experience," he added.

SunLike is also expected to be applied to Volvo's electric car, Polestar 3, in addition to the EX90.

Write to Byung-Keun Kim at bk11@hankyung.com