Re: [EVDL] LED Taillights - a money saver in gas cars? -rangeextenderin EV's? - an an

Alan Brinkman wrote:

> Looking at safety issues, LED lights turn on quicker than incandescent
> bulbs, allowing quicker response times. If your LED tail lights
> turn on
> 200 ms sooner, at 65 MPH that SUV in your rear window will stop 19.1
> feet sooner. I put LED lights on my travel trailer, and when you turn
> on the marker lights or hit the brakes, the travel trailer lights up
> first, then the incandescent lights show on the pickup. It seems
> strange at first, until you get used to what is going on. Also, a
> disabled vehicle on the side of the road, ICE, with one marginal
> battery, will have the emergency flashers work longer through the
> night,
> warning others.
>
> The cost of LED lights can be a bit much, but if you just save one
> fender or rear bumper on your favorite EV............

Most LED replacements of incandescent bulbs are noticeably dimmer,
the approved LED trailer style tail lights are the exception - not
the rule.

Most *inexpensive* LED "replacement" bulbs are MUCH dimmer, and tend
to be very directional as well (they may light you up strait back but
not 1/2 lane to the side.)

Many inexpensive LED taillights put as many LEDs in series as they
can and regulate current with a resistor. They need the resistor to
drop only a little of the voltage so they don't have to use power
resistors on a heat sink. The result is that the many LED taillights
do get progressively dimmer as the 12v system dies (it can be faster
than an incandescent bulb as they shift toward red as they dim.)

I don't know of any LED replacement bulbs with DOT approval but I
have one in mind to try:
<http://www.superbrightleds.com/specs/115x-xLX3.htm> Its not cheap,
but it has a wide beam angle (130 degrees) and 240 lumens of output,
about 60% of the brake light on an 1157 car tail light bulb (one
candlepower equals 12.57 lumens.)

Just my random thoughts. I've played with a couple of LED 1157 bulbs
but have yet to put one in a car and *drive* it.

Paul Gooch

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