America’s first night-optimized supercar wants to fix everything we hate about driving after dark
Published on Jan 16, 2026 at 6:36 AM (UTC+4)
by Molly Davidson
Last updated on Jan 16, 2026 at 6:36 AM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Molly Davidson
Cars are basically built assuming the sun is on duty 24/7.
Then you drive at night and it’s like everyone’s headlights are trying to win an argument.
Glare hits harder than potholes, and your eyes never quite get comfortable.
But a new US concept called the DarkSky One claims it’s designed to make night driving way more bearable.
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How this night-optimized supercar wants to make dark roads less annoying
The DarkSky One is a concept car from DarkSky International – a nonprofit focused on reducing light pollution – and it flips the usual thinking on its head.
Instead of trying to overpower darkness, it tries to work with it.
In an interview with CarBuzz, DarkSky’s executive creative director Peter Bray explained that modern headlights are far too binary.
They’re either on or really on.
The night-optimized supercar uses a system that gradually adjusts its headlights as you approach things, rather than snapping between high and low beam like a nervous light switch.
Turning a corner?
The light follows the road.
Coming up on an object?
The brightness eases back instead of assaulting your eyeballs.
All with the aim to make your night drive feel smoother and calmer.
Beyond the headlights, the DarkSky One controls its other exterior lights too.
They use warmer light, limit side glare, and reduce reflections inside the car so your eyes aren’t constantly fighting brightness.
And to take it a step further, the DarkSky One even wears a matte black finish with a patterned surface designed to absorb stray light instead of bouncing it straight back at the driver.
Less glare means your eyes stay adjusted to the dark longer – which, weirdly enough, helps you see more, not less.
As DarkSky CEO Ruskin Hartley explained, too much badly aimed light makes your pupils shrink, wiping out detail behind it.
More light isn’t better if it’s pointed at the wrong thing.
DarkSky is using this car to push bigger changes
For DarkSky, the concept car is really a conversation starter.
The bigger goal is influencing how vehicle lighting is designed and regulated.
They boil that push down to five core ideas:
1. Cap how bright headlights are allowed to be
DarkSky argues there should be limits on light output based on research, instead of an endless brightness arms race.
2. Make adaptive headlights standard
Lighting should adjust continuously based on distance, objects, and road shape, rather than flipping between high and low beam.
3. Move away from blue-white light
Warmer headlight colors reduce glare, are easier on human eyes, and are less disruptive to nighttime wildlife and insects.
4. Design roads with headlight impact in mind
Road standards should account for how vehicle lighting actually behaves at night, not just markings and signage.
5. Follow the science when setting rules
DarkSky wants more research into how modern lighting affects drivers, pedestrians, and the nighttime environment, and for that research to guide future standards.
This night-optimized supercar may never exist beyond a concept, but its message still stands.
Night driving doesn’t need brighter lights, just better ones.
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Molly Davidson is a Junior Content Writer at Supercar Blondie. Based in Melbourne, she holds a double Bachelor’s degree in Arts/Law from Swinburne University and a Master’s of Writing and Publishing from RMIT. Molly has contributed to a range of magazines and journals, developing a strong interest in lifestyle and car news content. When she’s not writing, she’s spending quality time with her rescue English staffy, Boof.
