This has been a busy, rough week, and the constant grim grayness of the world hasn’t exactly been a help, so to unwind after work the other day, I went to a relatively new taillight bar in town, The Vermilionaire’s Lamp. It’s been pretty popular lately in the Taillight Community, mostly because everyone is getting sick of going to The Lumiére Rouge, and Flashing Amber’s was closed down again because they found a previously-thought-to-be-extinct strain of diphtheria in the communal bidet. When I showed up the other night, it was quite busy, and there was a bit of a commotion, as a group of Tesla acolytes was in the bar, surrounded by regulars.
Now, it’s not uncommon for Tesla fanatics to show up at a taillight bar; they always travel in pairs, and they’re just there to share the Good News about The Great Elon and his many teachings and predictions. Usually, they just get ignored and eventually leave or get kicked out by the bouncer when they keep insisting that people get in their Cybertruck and try out the latest version of FSD with them while they make reels talking about how many times it saved their lives by not driving into walls or whatever. This time, though, was different.
This time, they were actually there on real taillight business. The taillight community generally hasn’t been too interested in Tesla, as it’s never really given the community anything to be excited about. That all changed last year, though, when Tesla’s long-needed facelift for the Model Y was released. This update, known in Tesla circles as the “Model Y Juniper” was overall a pretty mild styling refresh, with one significant exception: it employs a new taillight design that features something that, I believe, no actual taillight has ever used before.
Here, take a look:
Model Y had a glow up
The first indirect reflective body-panel taillight of its kind pic.twitter.com/rTUvUIZK8J
— Tesla (@Tesla) January 30, 2025
Do you see what’s going on there? It’s not the full-width taillight business that deserves attention here, we’ve seen that since the 1960s. But it does have to do with how that full-width taillight bar is illuminated. The central bar there is acting as the baseline running light section of the taillight; the turn indicators, brake lights, and so on are in C-shaped units at either side, and are more conventional.
What’s interesting about this taillight is that it is the only known taillight where you are not seeing the taillight at all. The taillight assembly itself – the LEDs, the lens, the housing, everything – is actually hidden up under a lip on the rear deck. What is actually visible is only the light from the taillight, reflected on a little concave surface there.
Also, it’s worth noting that a by-product of this method is that a sort of puddle light-type swath of glowing redness appears on the ground behind the car, like some sort of mystical, angry rash.
Here’s a shot from underneath so you can see where the actual physical taillight is:
See that? All you actually see when you’re behind the car (and not, you know, rolling around on the road) is the reflected light. This should be perfectly legal as long as that reflected light meets all the size, color, and photometry requirements as specified in FMVSS Standard No. 108, which I must assume these do, since they’re on a production car that’s actively being sold.
While the application in a taillight context is new, the concept has been around for a while; I think the only other known attempt to use reflected light as the primary visible light of a vehicle signal light was as the side indicator repeater lamp of the 2003-2008 BMW Z4 (E85/E86):
Here, the flashing amber light was coming from behind the BMW roundel, through a ring-like lens on the side of the lamp housing, so that only the emitted light was seen, reflected in the dish-like bezel of the indicator repeater. It had a starburst-like look thanks to the fluting of the lens, and was a pretty exciting and dramatic way to repeat a turn indicator. It’s one of my favorite details of that car.
And, of course, license plate lamps have always sort of worked like this, though their intent is different: they cast light to illuminate an unlit object, the license plate, where the Tesla reflected taillight’s light is designed to be viewed directly. It’s not illuminating anything other than itself, via that recessed channel spanning the rear of the car.
So, don’t let anyone tell you that I’ve never said anything nice about Tesla, because I’m saying it now: Tesla has made a genuine splash in the taillight world, and I salute the bold and experimental approach to the exquisite and ancient art of rear-of-car illumination.
Top graphic image: Tesla
I hate it.
It’s not exactly the same, but many LED headlights are reflecting LED boards which actually face backwards and their output is reflected through U-shaped reflectors. BMW’s laser headlights also work this way.
I remember when the 1st gen Audi Q7 came out and had these hidden LEDs reflecting on little mirrors inside the tail lights. I thought it was super cool.
My wife’s Volvo XC40 uses this same trick for the main headlights as does my BMW G30 with the ICON headlights.
The KC Hilite LED sealed beam replacements largely work like that IIRC, so they look more like the original sealed beams they replaced than the JW Speaker equivalents (and knockoffs).
Yep, I’ve seen the tactic used on lots of LEDs, and it works great.
Yesssss, when my buddies at my last shop saw that on the Z4 they noted it was “money.”
Now, if they could figure out door handles.
It’s not quite the same thing/same extent but Cadillac did something similar for the turn signals on the headlights for the last generation Seville. The actual bulb was buried behind the cornering lamps in the headlight assembly firing forward into a prism, and while you could see it from directly in front of the car majority of the visible light came from the prism taking the light from the “hidden” bulb housing and flooding light all over the turn signal “area” of the headlight assembly.
Not sure if this has been covered yet, but the new Audi SQ5 has a sweet “Quattro reflection” from the CHMSL. Notice how the original image is reversed so that it appears correctly when reflected off the rear glass.
ooo. That’s cool. I hope they’re able to sell one!
That’s fantastic!
I’m curious as to a number of factors at play here:
How well does this work as it gets dirty? Not that a lens doesn’t get dirty, but a reflective surface is a different way to do things. What about abrasions, perhaps from washing the dirt? And does the little recessed area there lessen dirt/snow accumulation?
Is the reflected area clearly delineated and obviously separate from normal body panels, so as to avoid overzealous wraps or repaints?
Does this reduce help with the brightness problem a few cars have (though, thankfully, none of them are as bright as brake lights on new ambulances)? And are the brake lights noticeably distinct from the normal taillights? I’m actually surprised that I haven’t seen one in action, but I think I’ve only seen one or two of the new ones parked. This design choice does not look good when it’s not lit, but at least I now know why it looks like it does.
How easy is bulb replacement? It wouldn’t have to be difficult, but it might be.
I won’t be buying one of these, but I will admit it is an interesting design choice.
I am fairly confident that today’s LED modules can outlast their host vehicles by several multiples. If anyone can show me evidence this is a known issue for Tesla let me know, I can’t remember ever seeing anything.
True, they can, but failures do occur (probably more likely from something getting loose than the LED burning out). I don’t know if they occur at a lower or higher rate for Tesla, but they happen. It’s mostly curiosity about the replacement. It’s not meant to be a criticism; I just can’t tell how easily they could be reached/replaced. If there’s a little easily-removed panel inside the trunk lid, it might actually be easier than some other vehicles on the market right now.
No I hear you. And I agree it will definitely happen to someone(s), but I doubt it’ll happen to you. (besides Stellantis)
*Chrysler products have entered the chat*
Ya know I wish I could show you the busted Pacifica taillight module that is now my daughter’s “nightlight.” Can we just assume any claims of reliability include the caveat “besides Stelantis?”
*Chrysler product
sEh. I’ve seen a fair few modules, generally CHMSL, with individual LEDs out, in various cars less than 10 years old. Probably still a better average than incandescent, no question. And it’s not enough to fail inspection. But it’s still a gap-toothed brake light (etc) on what I would consider recent car. Same for the Cadillac/Volvo waterfall lights off either side of the c-pillar.
good point. Like I said, I have no doubt it happens, it’s just not high up on my list of components to worry about.
LEDs should last a long time, but I notice a lot of 3rd brake lights which are just a line of LEDs, with half of them not working.
The car equivalent of walking around with toilet paper stuck to your shoe. You just gotta hope someone will be kind enough to tell you..
I’ll pay more attention for this…I wonder if they’re becoming more reliable or if it’s just inevitable
Aren’t most LED light strips comprised of many individual LEDs which are not, however, individually replaceable? I think some jurisdictions regard any individual LED outage as a vehicle safety equipment violation, one that requires a repair and perhaps a citation.
!!! God I hope not. And a lot of them are probably sealed modules to keep out moisture. Can you imagine getting cited for a single diode and having to spend hundreds to replace the whole unit?
…And realizing you’ll probably have to do this more than once. Almost makes you miss incandescents.
I did an image search to see this when it’s unlit, and one of the top results was a cheap piece of “carbon fiber” to stick in this recess that probably completely conceals any lighting, so the answer to this is a resounding no!
https://www.rpmtesla.com/products/2025-model-y-juniper-refreshed-lower-taillight-applique-real-molded-carbon-fiber?srsltid=AfmBOordHA3MxWyapEu4RrZJaYK8JME2-XFFprpcba9AJBYfbctEViB8
Wow, and the repeated mentions of being below the taillight and zero mentions of being as reflective as needed really suggest the designer had no idea how any of this works. Ouch.
The install video did a great job informing me they could make the logo in many colors, but never showed the stupid thing illuminated, so they really have their priorities in order.
$212! For a taillight delete!
My main question: Is that primary reflective surface white, or silver, and consistent regardless of the paint color of the vehicle? Or do white Model Ys have bright taillights, and black ones have really dim taillights?
[edit after reading more comments]
So if the comment is accurate that the reflective surface is black — uniform is good, but black? How much of conformance to lighting standards is reliant on reflection from the gloss surface, which would be hampered by dirt, rather than diffusion? [/edit]
yes empirically the reflected surface is a matte-black, regardless of exterior pain color. I had the same question, but makes sense that they would be the same color for consistent reflectivity.
I’ve followed this Model Y version at night and noticed an odd (so maybe it’s just me) psycho-visual effect from that single light. My brain is acclimated to seeing two lighting units equidistant from the centerline of the car. Since I know the dimensions of typical cars, I can use that information at night to quickly judge my distance from a car ahead of me.
With the single light, a quick glance doesn’t give me that same information. There’s a beat of “what am I looking at; is it a car full-width or something else?” It’s not a problem, it’s just weird and slightly distracting, like if a car was approaching you with three equidistant headlights.
Assuming they sell enough of them, maybe with time your brain will get used to it?
Yes! I have the exact same issue. Also the model Y rear light gives me a distinct “cyclops” feel, even though I know that logically it makes little sense.
I usually admire the way the light bar looks when I see it, but then I remember what car it is attached to and the admiration suddenly ceases.
I do have a strong distaste for this Cyclopean thing going on lately. It’s one more “futuristic” thing being squished into real life without actually thinking about the context.
love tesla for making big refreshes right as their ceo crossed many lines because you can immediately tell who’s a huge chud and who’s probably normal. Thank you designers!
I’ve seen more than one CT with an anti Elon sticker on it. Make it make sense.
I can’t, because it doesn’t.
> I’ve seen more than one CT
Ugh, I’m already feeling bad for you. I feel this intense welling up of hatred at the drivers, because they bought in well after the crazy train left the station. And they’re just fuck ugly and bad vehicles.
There’s one parked in the driveway across the street from me as we speak…
(the good news is our brains are wonderful things. After the first week or so I learned to tune it out and now it barely registers)
it’s a “please don’t key my car” decal
*please don’t key my
car$4500 wrap required to make my CT look “nice.”That’s the most sensible explanation.
I’m not in favor of vandalism in any form, but–if I was–I think the sticker would make me more likely: you KNEW what he was all about and you STILL gave him way too much money for way too dumb of a car.
Pity the poor people like my mate, who bought his Model S years ago when Elon was just ‘a bit weird’, and now can’t afford to replace it.
I keep thinking it could have been me. I was briefly thinking of getting one back in the day when he was clearly crazy, but in a harmless way (sending a car to space, Fart Mode, etc.) I feel like the whole pedo thing was the turning point for me but it’s hard to keep the timeline straight.
I haven’t paid them much mind, but I thought the light output reminded me of the fluorescent lights of the Lincoln MkVIII. I wonder what parts availability is for lamps and ballasts for those.
That was the first thing I thought of as well. Definitely some of the most interesting taillights I’ve ever seen.
I bet the real reason they did this was because their normal taillights would condense really badly.
The question I have is that when some dumbass inevitably decides to black out their tail light to make it work less, are they going to paint the reflective area, smoke out the lens on the actual light, or just cover the whole area up? Man is that a stupid fad that I wish was illegal.
For the ultimate blacked out look you’re gonna want to snip the wiring harness. Bad ass.
How well would it work on a car with matte paint or some kind of body wrap? Could future exterior repairs in that area, if done improperly, affect its use?
How’s Elon’s boot taste today, gents? Get off of Twitter and stop suckling Tesla’s teets.
Wow. I hate Elon as much as anyone but this article seemed pretty objective about the technology itself. I can still be interested in the technology, and recognize it’s a first.
Also I see comments here saying others have done this first. Clearly those people didn’t actually read the words in this article, because as a fellow automotive lighting nerd, I can’t think of any other vehicles which don’t have a visible tail light lens either.
All I can think of is the Corvette Manta Ray prototype with pop-up mirrors for the brake lights. It clearly never went into production, though, and it still has conventional tail lights mounted lower at the rear as well:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOgcXFUKCds
I think this might be your first day here. Hope it’s a good one!
Man, I just can’t win. Either the Tesla-goons are mad or the anti-Tesla folk. I can’t ignore a novel taillight, no matter who its from. If the devil himself made a car with interesting taillights, I’m going to at least say SOMEthing.
The best evidence of objectivity is complimenting the successes of your adversaries. DT managed the rare feat of brining the entire internet together (in hatred of him) when he said the CT wasn’t as bad as he expected. That’s what makes this site great.
The Tesla-stans are annoying and laughably delirious, but not like actually vicious. The anti-Tesla crowd seems to be a lot more nasty and personal.
Semi-regular iteration of: the Autopian really needs to start banning people for personal attacks. Criticism based on technical content or voiced ideas/claims is fine. Criticism based on identity, no matter who it is, should GTFO and not come back.
Eh. The OP’s comment crosses the line to vicious I think. To your point, I think Stans have quieted down given their overlord’s behavior is increasingly indefensible and unappealing. The haters are wound up that he’s made/is making the world terrible and as much as we are passionate about taillights, most of this community seems to recognize there are at least some things more important.
If it’s any consolation, I am sure I am not the only person appreciating this bit of taillight minutiae you’re bringing to our attention.
If you want to swing it back against Tesla, I’m still curious how the CT meets lighting standards for brakes since the “CHMSL” is not actually mounted separately or functioning independently of the normal full-width taillight.
Well apparently now “law” is whatever those with power decide it is at any given time. I figured the CT will get grandfathered in to this exciting new legal doctrine.
I don’t know how OP also failed to notice how much you made fun of Elon/Tesla in this article.
Maybe check out Satan’s Brake, the pop-up nightclub that was usually hosted in the trunk of a Volvo 850 T5R parked across the street from Flashing Amber’s.
I think Beelzebub chose the wagon because the upright taillights look like red horns when illuminated.
We don’t need to discriminate in our taillight appreciation.
Elon’s way too busy ruining the world to be tinkering with taillights. This is the work of engineers who I think we agree are genuinely top notch and have done heroic work bringing Elon’s fever dreams into reality despite the limits of physics and common sense. Imagine what they could do without him.
The more I think about it the more I want to send these poor souls a build-a-bear or something.
Can you imagine finding out (via Twitter…) that the car you are prepping to enter production will now have a periscope or do wheelies or have a battery that will last the life of the vehicle without recharging or whatever nonsense?
And before you say they should get different jobs, they’re in the same boat as owners: a lot of them started when it was an admirable company doing admirable things. And now they have mortgages and college funds and on and on. Poor souls.
You must be new cause uhhhh, I’m not sure if you know this. But this place is decidedly NOT pro-Tesla, lol. Before you even get to Elon, this place almost unanimously hates and has routinely criticized:
We’re allowed to enjoy the taillight, lol.
*PANEL GAPS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Honestly I think given the editorial mission, this site it Tesla-agnostic. As soon as Tesla starts making good decisions, the writers will start saying good things.
(The site is Tesla-agnostic. Commentariat is another matter, but still I think most of us would follow — look how much praise there is for this light)
Correct, the site itself is neither pro nor anti Tesla or any other automaker.
I am on the record for being pro Skoda.
Yeah I got that wrong. We are pro-some automakers. Like Skoda and Mitsuoka.
I am visiting Japan in a couple of months and I absolutely plan to visit a Mitsuoka showroom.
Man I hope it’s as weird as it should be.
Please write about it here!
I think of Autopian as Saab-friendly– one of the first pieces I read on the site had that vibe, and it helped get me hooked.
Then you must be aware that Skoda translates to “tragedy” in Czech (the place where the car comes from). How can you not admire a company like that?
As a Velorex 435 owner I think I’m supposed to be very angry or very sympathetic towards this position but I’m not sure which.
Huh?
I don’t have to hand them squat for this. As mentioned, other folks did it first, and this application looks cheap and tacky because the black reflective surface looks cheesy, IMHO.
If I want black cladding, I’ll commit to the damn bit and buy an early Aztek.
All the black cladding on the tail lights make it look like a cheap kids toy. The reflection thing is kinda cool, but overall, the back end up the updated Y looks like shit compared the pre-facelift, and the pre-facelift wasn’t great to start with.
Not to mention, in silver I’m reminded of a Cylon. Hmmm, intentional?
Hey we’re Tesla and we know our cars suck but we’re not going to make them better because fuck you, that’s why. Instead we’re going to do some pointlessly complicated shit that will won’t improve the car in any meaningful way but will give our foaming-mouth fanbois some drivel to shout in your ear at the next social gathering you get roped into. You’re welcome!
There is plenty of pointlessly complicated shit on Teslas (electric door handles being the worst offender), but uh, a concave reflector for a concealed light is not one of them. That’s like, antiquities-era technology. The Greeks had a similar idea for stage lighting.
Throw shit when it’s deserved, but clowning on actual improvements just makes you look like a clown.
Improvement might be a stretch. But it’s def no worse than any others and it’s unique and creative. That deserves a nod.
We took lighting from buildings and put it ON A CAR. Mind blowing.
A story written solely so that Torch could justify Autopian picking up his bar tab when he goes out cruising the Amber Light District. 😉
Vote for Amber Light District merch.
I’ve said before, Amber Blinker is Torch’s drag name.
And the sexy amber marker Halloween costume he came up with way back when is what he wears
I’m sure nobody has ever, ever seen that BMW turn signal repeater light in action.
Well… they do come on with the hazards. Not saying there’d be any reason for this era BMW to be sitting at the side of the road or anything…
Really feels good to get some hot new taillight content! Now can you really make my year and give us another Mack Hardigraw installment?
Gotta save something for Sweeps Week!
I was wondering when this would get a feature article here
Anybody else getting strong Maximillian vibes from this or am I the only one that grew up watching The Black Hole?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZWttTwPl_Y
I believe the Jeep Wagoneer S uses this same concept as a light bar for the front.
Does the fantastic neon brakelight in the Lincoln Mark VIII best this? IMHO, the Lincoln did it first, and better.
This is Tesla’s first innovation in like a decade (I don’t count FSD, no)
I dunno. I think convincing ppl to spend $80K+ on a 10 yr old car that was uncompetitive 5 yrs ago is pretty innovative.
Edit: it’s actually $95K (lol) and going on year 14.
And how does that work if it is covered in snow?
The same as any other lighting element.
I’ve seen this actually, and it works better than regular taillights. Because the lamp itself is mounted under an overhang, snow can’t accumulate on it. Snow can accumulate on the concave section that the light reflects onto, but not much, because the overhang protects it somewhat. So the lamp will still be able to project its light unimpeded, and it will reflect onto a bit of accumulated snow at the most, which actually makes it a little brighter.
Great, so now we’ll get high beam taillights searing our retinas.
This was my first knee-jerk reaction, too, or “what happens when it’s really dirty?”
But like Jay said, if this is covered enough in snow or grime to make it ineffective, a standard taillight is even more obscured. At least in this case you see light on top of the snow or mud.
The one caveat to this is, especially in the case of salt thrown by spray, (which gets *everywhere* no matter what) the light is also harder to clean, especially by an automatic car wash. Yes, I know, car enthusiast sacrilege to suggest anyone in their right mind would ever be so crass as to use the automatics, but as often is the case the general public disagrees.
It probably won’t cause the light to become completely unusable, but it will eventually dim, lose some effectiveness, and become a dirt trap for less caring owners. Most car washing activities will clean exposed lights well, it’ll be interesting to see how hidden ones work out.
Excellent point. While I don’t have a Tesla, the car washes never get the concave bits of the rear hatch/bumper
Very true. Thinking about it more, I wonder if the aero causes some vacuum in the area that actually pulls in dirt or road spray to really coat the light bar.
Yeah, that’s a concern I would have with this–would this pull in crap like the spoilers on 4Runners, RAV4s, etc? Always seems like the area right below them pulls in a bunch of dirt. This is a very different design, though, so it is hard to say.
If not for automatic car washes, my cars would never get washed.
I know, same, was more trying to playfully tease the detail it all crowd with that one. I’m the same way.
In theory the light projected down would reflect off snow too.
Wait, you guys drive in snow?
Ya, it’s kinda a pain.
Couple more years and it won’t be a problem.