Defence and aerospace engineers have long evaluated electronics by size, weight and power. Electrified vehicles make the same discipline increasingly relevant to lighting.
Source date: 2025-2026 Primary organisation: Cross-industry engineering
A useful engineering shorthand
SWaP – size, weight and power – is a familiar defence and aerospace way of judging electronic systems. The concept is simple: capability has value, but only in relation to the physical and electrical resources it consumes.
Why EVs make SWaP relevant
Automotive lighting is adding pixels, processors, communications and larger illuminated areas at the same time as EV programmes are under pressure to reduce mass, parasitic power and packaging volume.
Measure the whole architecture
A visually thin light can still hide a large driver, heat sink, housing or harness. A proper SWaP assessment therefore has to include the complete system, not just the visible emitter.
Multifunction is the prize
The best way to improve SWaP may be to make one component perform several roles. A surface that provides branding, ambient illumination and HMI feedback can potentially replace multiple conventional parts.
The Lux View
SWaP is a useful antidote to feature inflation. It forces lighting teams to ask not only what a technology can do, but what the vehicle must carry in order to let it do it.
Publishing information
Honeywell Aerospace – HGuide o360
Panasonic Avionics – Astrova milestone
FORVIA HELLA – FlatLight