No Daytime Running Lights Please
I sure hope that GM will consider taken the daytime running lights that they have added to their entire line off of the Volt. It's a waste of watts to run lights in the day time. Save the electricity for moving the car forward please.
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using LEDs is an important energy saving concept that I don't know if Chevy plans to utilize or not. At the same brightness, LEDs of course use much less energy than halogens. Does anyone know if LEDs are part of the plan for the Volt in general? If so, then I agree, daytime running lights would be no biggie. If not, then I'd like the option to turn them on or off at my discretion...
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The original Volt Concept has LED running lights. So they are definately thinking along these lines. I'm sure the production Volt will have DRLs, the only question will be if they're LED or not. It may turn out that LEDs aren't bright enough to meet regulations in other parts of the world. I don't believe that they are a requirement here in the US yet. My 2006 Solstice uses the amber parking light for this feature and they could easily be LED instead of the incandecesnt lights they are. My wife's Toyota FJ Cruiser uses the halogen headlights, but they dim them down a bit or maybe it's secondary lower wattage fillement, I'm not sure.
My '04 Colorado uses the parking lights a running lights. They come on automatically but can be manually turned off after the vehicle is in gear. I often turn them off as I think the truck looks better without them on. Plus, I find it distracting to watch other vehicles on the road with thier lights on in the day time. It just looks dumb and I find it distracting. I guess I'm old school, huh?
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I took the picture. I'm a lighting professional. I was there. They are LEDs. Sorry that the photo is so small and lo-fi. It somehow ended up out of focus.
I say get rid of the daytime running lights as well. They don't do anything if you know how to operate your vehicle. All they are is a way to dumb down a car so stupid people who don't know to turn their lights on in bad weather/low light don't get hit because of their ignorance. Kinda like the automatic headlights on my truck.
jjski, they do not "dumb down" a car. And it has absolutely nothing to do with knowing how to operate your car. They make your car more visible to OTHER people in normal conditions. It is even on a moderately bright day, having day time running lights makes your car more visible to oncoming traffic.
This is perhaps the most trivial thread on this forum, many people have already posted the energy use is inconsequential, and even less if they use LEDs. People have also posted that it is a requirement to have them in certain places, since this car is supposed to be sold worldwide it needs them.
So why don't we all just deal with the fact that there will most likely be daytime running lights, and that is really isn't that big of a deal.
This is perhaps the most trivial thread on this forum, many people have already posted the energy use is inconsequential, and even less if they use LEDs. People have also posted that it is a requirement to have them in certain places, since this car is supposed to be sold worldwide it needs them.
So why don't we all just deal with the fact that there will most likely be daytime running lights, and that is really isn't that big of a deal.
don't get me wrong, i definitely take your word for it!!I took the picture. I'm a lighting professional. I was there. They are LEDs. Sorry that the photo is so small and lo-fi. It somehow ended up out of focus.
being that the running lights are LEDs, I think the discussion is not really relevant to the battery life and more a question of personal taste on whether or not you want your car to force the lights on during the daytime...
On a moderately bright day, if an individual can't see an oncoming vehicle unless the lights are on, then they need to have their license revoked for being blind. Daytime running lights don't help me see an oncoming car better during the day, seeing a big hunk of metal careening at me at speed is enough for me to notice. Also being aware of my surroundings, ie:NOT talking on the stupid phone (hang up and drive people!), is all I need to know my surroundings, not some stupid set of auxilliary lights that are always on.
They do dumb down a car. People everywhere don't seem to realize they should turn their lights on in rain/fog, daytime running lights fix this problem for them. Just like people everywhere who forget to turn their lights on AT NIGHT, automatic headlights dumb the car down for them. How you forget to turn the lights on at night is beyond me, don't these people look at their instruments??
Now, of course they are a legal requirement in some areas, so we all know it would be wise to just put the circuits in all of the Volts to keep assembly costs down, so it's a foregone conclusion that all of them will have the lights. The point I'm trying to make is that they have a ridiculously negligible affect on the vehicle's safety, and were in fact designed to dumb down the cars we drive.
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I am more worried about turning them OFF at night, particularly in a well lit parking garage or lot.
Automatic light have probably saved 10's of thousands of battery replacements, by shutting off on their own. I don't think this is dumbing down the car, just saving us some money in the occasional case of forgetfulness. It only takes one time leaving them on to cost you an $80 battery.
I am glad GM has this feature on their cars. I am amazed how many makers still don't. How much could the circuit cost, 50 cents?
Automatic light have probably saved 10's of thousands of battery replacements, by shutting off on their own. I don't think this is dumbing down the car, just saving us some money in the occasional case of forgetfulness. It only takes one time leaving them on to cost you an $80 battery.
I am glad GM has this feature on their cars. I am amazed how many makers still don't. How much could the circuit cost, 50 cents?
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How many times do you see a car in a lot with its lights left on? I do often. Shouldn't the car at least have a dinger to prevent this?
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