[ned23]

I just bought the coolest set of LED lights at Costco for about 50 bucks. It consisted of 6 light sticks that were about 18 inches long and came with a computer controller. You could vary the color of the lights or let them respond to music.

Anyway, it got me thinking that these lights are now becoming pretty inexpensive and it might make sense to think about using them in car interiors as soft accent lighting. You could put strips of them around the interior of the car. They use very little electricity. Imagine if you could coordinate the color of your car's interior lights?

I assume someone at GM is already paying attention to this but it would be neat to know what they're thinking about it and how soon it might be available.

Also, it would make for much better visibility inside the car if you had diffuse lighting throughout the car as opposed to a couple glaring overhead lights that are shadowed by everything else in the car. People in the backseat could use lighting that wouldn't bother the driver so much.

 

[nlh_90210]

pretty cool idea

I suspect that after a week I might get sick of playing with the color, but that doesn't mean that I would settle on one that was different than the original design. I like the idea of using LEDs because the really never burn out, and they use very little power. I also like the idea of diffuse lighting.

 

[ned23]

I suspect that after a week I might get sick of playing with the color, but that doesn't mean that I would settle on one that was different than the original design. I like the idea of using LEDs because the really never burn out, and they use very little power. I also like the idea of diffuse lighting.

Wouldn't it be great if you could find stuff that you dropped on the floor of your car at night without having to find a flashlight or wait until morning to see it? I'd pay extra for it!

 

[fourflush]

low power

Given the that GM is spending money redesigning the windshield wipers to be more effiecent i think its almost a guarentee that the interior and most of the exterior lights will be LED's. the only lights i think might not be would be the headlights. I havent seen a good set of LED lights that would work for that. but who knows.

 

[DaV8or]

I like the idea of using LEDs because the really never burn out, and they use very little power.

In theory. Only if the LED lights are manufactured to a high standard do they last as long as claimed. The LEDs themselves don't burn out for a very, very long time, but the electronics and circuitry that power them is another story. I operate a fleet of trucks and they have LED taillights and turn signals. It varies from brand to brand, but a lot of these units fail much quicker than the old incandescent units. I also had the same experience with a pair I put on my boat trailer. The first set failed in about a year. The second set, from another manufacturer, seem to be holding. In addition, most cities in my area switched the traffic lights out to LED as soon as they became available, and I have noted a significant failure rate there as well.

I too am a big fan of LED lighting technology, but have come to realize that they are not all created equal, and like the compact fluorescent bulbs, many of them don't come anywhere near their advertised lifespan. I believe this a result of cheap manufacturing, economy design and poor components. LED lights can be very good, it's just tough to find the ones that really are.

 

[imflyn]

The idea of controllable "mood lighting" I'll call it is really cool. I'd go with an indigo lighting color myself.

 

[DaV8or]

The idea of controllable "mood lighting" I'll call it is really cool. I'd go with an indigo lighting color myself.

It is very cool. Infinite color adjustable LED fixtures are used all the time in theatrical lighting. I get to use them from time to time in my work. I doubt for cost reasons that it will be part of version 1 Volt though. As cool as it is, I'd like to see the price tag well below $40k and ditching neat gimmicks like this can only help.

 

[davidelewis]

Given the that GM is spending money redesigning the windshield wipers to be more effiecent i think its almost a guarentee that the interior and most of the exterior lights will be LED's. the only lights i think might not be would be the headlights. I havent seen a good set of LED lights that would work for that. but who knows.

LED headlights do exist, but are expensive. Here's an excerpt from a recent article in the Windsor Star regarding GM and LED headlights:

GM STILL MUM ON COST OF REPLACING NEW LED LIGHTS

The first LED headlights in the automotive world will be available this year on the highest trim level of the 2008 Cadillac Escalade.

The LED headlights are complex - seven separate lenses make up each headlamp - heavy (up to five kg each) and expensive. So expensive GM refuses to say how they will cost to replace in the event of a collision.

The are produced by German lighting giant Hella. A vertical row of five LEDs provide the low beam, each lens covering a different portion of the roadway; two separate LEDs are the high beams.

The yellow turn signals are LEDs, as well. The light quality of the LEDs is said to be less blinding for other drivers than the high-intensity blue headlamps currently on some Cadillacs, and more like daylight.

 

[akojim]

LED headlamps

as a "ball park figure", a Celis LED headlamp is about $350 retail