you pass a tremendous amount of current throug it to excite the gas. Kindof like neon. That;s why the have the transformers that crank out 20,000 volts instead of the 12 that run through the wiring harness to your halogens. It's pretty much a sales gimmick i would guess. non the less, i still bought jimmy;s bulbs, but as I said before, you could find comparable quality for less than a trhird the cost. searech the archives.....