Daytime Running Lights changed ???

[Michael1]

Originally Posted by f5fstop

Michael, that is a GM study, what would you think a manufacturer would release?
Where are those independent studies you are talking about, and what would they prove anyway. I posted only independent studies, except for the cost figures that yes, were run by GM.

Does anyone read anything here? GM's study showed DRLs improving the accident rate at NIGHT! How does a DAYTIME Running Lamp improve your accident rate at night? What more proof do you need to know the study is flawed?

Your contention that running DRLs uses too much fuel, is ludicrous, when you also make the assumption you are driving a H3.

First off, not everyone is driving an H3. Second, the H3 uses fuel because it has an off-road purpose. Turning on lights for no reason only has the purpose of making GM happy.

30 million vehicles on road during day x 2 DRL lamps x 20 watts each (half power headlamps) = 1200 megawatts.

That's as much as good sized nuclear plant. That doesn't sound insignificant to me. In fact, one year of DRLs in the US is enough to provide all the residential electricity for the state of Vermont for almost three months.

1,200,000,000 watts x 10 hours of daylight / 0.6 alternator efficiency / 0.2 engine efficiency / 1000 watts/kW/ 32.6 kW-hr per gallon of gasoline w/10% ethanol = 3,072,000 gallons of gasoline burned PER DAY for DRLs.

Therefore, I have to assume you are a troll, since it makes absolutely no sense to anyone so far, that your worries about the $3.00 in extra costs for DRL usage when driving a vehicle that maxes out about 20 mpg highway, are warranted.

You're smarter than this. Stop hiding behind this "troll" nonsense. Give it a break.

This GM $3 figure per year sounds bogus.

15,000 miles per year / 35 avg. miles per hour x 0.8 daytime = 343 hours/year

Let's say gas is $3/gallon (even though it is far more in my area). That gets you 32.55 kW-hr of energy.

32.55 kw-hr of energy bought for $3 / 343 hours/year x 0.6 alternator efficiency x 0.2 engine efficiency = 11.4 watts. If GM is now running half power headlamps, that's on the order of 40 to 55 watts. Interesting disparity.

So, if you don't like DRLs fine, not everyone will, so sell the H3.

No need to sell. I just disable them, although if they end up making too hard, I'll give my $$$ to another manufacturer.

The point here is GM is trying to ram DRLs down everyone's throat. Now that their marketing experiment has failed, they have been lobbying NHTSA to mandate DRLs just so they don't end up with egg on their face. That's the part I find reprehensible.

Michael