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Can LEDs really save gas?
We just came across this piece in The Detroit Free Press that talks about automotive light technology. It's a fairly lengthy but interesting look at how lights are developed and tested. It might seem like a rather mundane subject, but when you consider how important headlights and other lights are to motoring and motor safety, it makes for a good read. But for those who don't have the time right now, and let's face it, that's why most of you get your news from us in the first place, it tells of Ford's new light lab that allows the company to replicate just about any lighting condition on earth. From bright sunlight to pitch black, they use 5,000 watts of bulbs to duplicate any lighting conditions a driver might encounter. Then they put their own automotive lighting to the test to see how effective it is.Besides the obvious visual performance of the lights, the automaker is also testing the efficiency of the elements. Seriously, they are looking at how new lights like LEDs can impact fuel economy and overall vehicle performance. As much as 5% of fuel consumption goes into powering a car's lights according to Mahendra Dassanayake, one of the senior staff technology specialists at the Dearborn facility. More efficient lighting equals more effcicient cars and trucks. The rest of the article goes on to show how GM and Chrysler as well as others are recognizing the benefits of LEDs and how their benefits are far-reaching. We encourage you to click over and read the whole article. While we've talked about "smart" headlights and innovative brake lights recently, we really have never thought about how these lights effect economy.
[Source: Detroit Free Press]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Nick the Hammer 3:42PM (8/23/2007)
Welcome to the future Detroit. You're about 10 years too late....
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Andrew 3:45PM (8/23/2007)
I read an article recently that discussed the impact on fuel economy of daytime running lights. It also questioned their actual safety impact in well lit conditions. I'm not sure of the figures or how credible they were, but I do switch off the DRL's on my Yukon sometimes when it occurs to me. Never noticed a difference in fuel economy, and I'm sure many other things like tire pressure and A/C usage and weight make a bigger difference than lights, perhaps even some car stereos require more juice than the headlights. But I suppose every little bit helps.
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geo.stewart 3:45PM (8/23/2007)
ok then, so the b*****ds who think daytime lights are safer (VW, GM,...), not only are they costing us in extra bulbs for the life of the car, they are costing me another $75/yr in gas?
oh joy.
make DRLs an option!!!! Personally, if the moron misses the 3000+lb monstrosity I'm driving, I dont think the headlights are going to give that extra he needs to focus on it.
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That One Person 4:11PM (8/23/2007)
I agree. I am not a fan of DRLs. But I usually drive with my headlights on (its a habit). But I do like the option of being able to turn them on and off.
What I find kind of funny is everyone bitched about GM putting them on every car. Sure it's a good idea. But now every Lexus, Toyota, Honda and Infiniti I see have them, too.
But what a lot of people don't know is that Ford does a lot of lighting development. Sure, it may not look like it but they were the first to use neon lighting on a car and the first to use direct current HIDs.
Anyways, I read this same article this morning. Pretty interesting. And the guy mentioned in the article wants Ford to use LEDs in all of their vehicles (but for which use I dont know).
Oh and Nick the Hammer...late to the game? Is that why Ford has been using LEDs for close to a decade (even more if I am not mistaken)?
Barney 5:41PM (8/23/2007)
Canada has had DRLs a lot longer then the US. No premature burned out lights. LEDs are usually used in the rear lights and as far as I know, those lights don't come on with the DRLs.
Preston M 3:50PM (8/23/2007)
The alternator is generating different levels of power based on RPMS, not load (as i understand it anyway). So unless they're using smaller alts that take less power to turn, i doubt its going to make a whole lot of difference as far as fuel economy is concerned.
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david 4:19PM (8/23/2007)
I'm pretty sure Alternators draw power from the accessory drive based on electrical load. More electrical load = more drag on the engine. I used to think it was rpm based. Maybe someone could post a link to prove one way or the other?
Bennet Pullen 4:28PM (8/23/2007)
Actually, any increase in electrical load on the system increases the drag of the alternator (and therefore the engine). There is zero "free" power being generated just by RPM.
Preston M 5:56PM (8/23/2007)
I sit corrected.
SPG 3:56PM (8/23/2007)
Driving down the highway in my sedan and from the other direction comes a vechicle with HID headlights.
Suddenly I'm blinded for a few seconds at highway speeds my eyes take valuable minutes to fully recover.
So to everybody with HID headlights, either drive at day only or seriously go **** yourselves you selfish jerks.
Sorry for the rant, it just really annoys me when someone puts being/looking cool over the safety and comfort of everybody else.
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zach 4:02PM (8/23/2007)
yeah you're right, i'm a selfish jerk for having better and safer lights. Properly aimed xenons don't cause oncoming drivers any problems, certainly no more than older antiquated cars that waste light by diffusing it all over the place.
...but clearly you're right, i should limit myself to daytime driving only.
you're an idiot. i hope the repair bill is huge when you plow into the deer that you didn't see because of your crappy headlights.
xxxxxxx 4:19PM (8/23/2007)
That only happens if they dont have projector beams to control the direction and intesity of the light beam.
its illegal in most states to use HID's in regular headlamp houses because you cant have a cutoff for the light beam.
SPG 4:31PM (8/23/2007)
Even properly designed headlights on somthing like an SUV are still in the face of car drivers on a two lane two directional highway.
HIDs are a fad, they look really neat and much more modern then traditional headlights.
But they are unsafe to other drivers. If I'm going 70mph a foot away from you going 70mph and you blind me then it's your seatbelts and not your headlights that are going to be there to save you.
As far as safer night driving with my "crappy headlights" goes, I'll use the high beams.
On a side note, dears are NOT afraid of headlights. It's what gets their attention and causes them to freeze up. regualr or HID you've still got every chance to hit those deer.
Drive safe, respect other drivers, watch for deer.
m 4:44PM (8/23/2007)
Yep, you're an idiot. Bright lights don't bother oncoming traffic. Improperly aimed lights do. Instead of just being another pissed off asshole driving down the road, maybe you should flash your highbeams or something to try and tell the other driver that his lights are out of adjustment. Maybe he just hasn't noticed.
zach 4:42PM (8/23/2007)
you're either insane or just not bright. HID projector headlights, specifically xenon are not a fad; and you've clearly never driven a car that has them. if you had, you'd realize how much more you can see with them.
yeah, your high beams aren't distracting to other drivers at all... what are you smoking?
way to misinterpret the deer comment... who thinks headlights scare off deer??? you can't avoid them if you can't see them.
the main point here, that you're too dense to understand, is that properly aimed projector HID's are LESS distracting than regular lights. they have an exact cutoff height, which your regular lights do not. perhaps you should visit your optometrist; you seem to be the only one who feels this way. maybe we could all go back to using candles as lights - would that make you happy?
zach 4:49PM (8/23/2007)
i've thought about this some more...
if your eyes are this bothered by properly adjusted projector HID's, then YOU are the one who shouldn't be driving at night. Unless you're referring ONLY to the jackasses who put excessively bright bulbs into reflector housings, I honestly can't figure out how you could possibly be making these arguments. If your eyes are so bad at night, you're the one putting the rest of us at risk.
m 4:54PM (8/23/2007)
Have you ever actually aimed a well designed headlight? To the left side of the vehicle, the beam is aimed down. There is no light above horizontal, it's all going down toward the road. I believe the highest legal distance between the road surface and the headlight is 90cm. That's about 35inches. So that means unless your eyes are 35inches from the road are lower, there's no light coming at them, and that's standing right at the headlight. Move away from the vehicle just 25feet and the light stops at 33inches. Unless you're driving a GT40 around at night, I really don't think you should be all that worried. Try bitching about the operator of the vehicle that doesn't bother to maintain it, not the headlights.
R 5:00PM (8/23/2007)
I just switched cars to one with HID's and I love them. I definitely see much more because the distribution of light is more even, consistent, and wider. But they are properly aimed. My friend on the other hand, has the same model car, but one of his lights are misaligned, and it's *really* annoying. It's basically a non-stop highbeam. I've given him shit about it a lot, and now I refuse to be the front car if we go anywhere.
SPG 5:28PM (8/23/2007)
Highbeams can be turned down, so can HIDs. HID headlights are still really bright and distracting and irritating to the eye. It seems that most of the times I flash my highbeams I'm flashed some Uber bright HID headlights because that driver already has switched to a lower stage. I'm sure some of the lights I've noticed were probably either after market or off their mark to some degree but that would account for a small portion.
But if your only excuse is that using them makes you feel safer then you're using a pretty selfish excuse. You own the highways just as much as I do.
zach 5:45PM (8/23/2007)
wow. do you really believe what you're typing?
really, call your eye doctor and schedule an appointment. that's all i can say; its not worth debating your logic with someone incapable of logical thought.