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.

I've been told that daytime running lights are a requirement for cars sold in Canada. If so, they likely will be on the Volt.

I doubt and they do not remove daytime running lamps. They are an important safety feature. They can be accomplished with LEDs and only consume a 3-5W each. It's a small energy price to pay.

It's a requirement in Canada, it save life and I believe this is not what will make a difference on the range for your daily commute.

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...

I doubt and they do not remove daytime running lamps. They are an important safety feature.

I personally don't consider Daytime Running Lamps to be an important saftey feature. I do consider them to be a waste of gas.

I definately think that we need to have Running Lights, my current car does not have them so I turn on my headlights every time I get in the car. It makes definately makes you more visible to oncoming cars.

Why not use LED's for running lights, I believe the power consumption would be very low.

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?

Here's a photo of the Volt original concept's daytime running lights from Volt Nation. So clearly they are thinking LED now.

that's "clearly" an LED?

that's "clearly" an LED?

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.

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.:(
don't get me wrong, i definitely take your word for it!! :)

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...

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.


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.

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?

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?

I think virtually every car built since at least the mid 80's has a warning buzzer to alert you if you left your lights on.

Just read this instead of making your point of view the only theory everyone should beleive.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daytime_running_lamp


From one of the studies listed in wikipedia


How effective are DRLs?

Nearly all published reports indicate DRLs reduce multiple-vehicle daytime crashes. Evidence about DRL effects on crashes comes from studies conducted in Scandinavia, Canada, and the United States. A study examining the effect of Norway's DRL law from 1980 to 1990 found a 10 percent decline in daytime multiple-vehicle crashes.1 A Danish study reported a 7 percent reduction in DRL-relevant crashes in the first 15 months after DRL use was required and a 37 percent decline in left-turn crashes.2 In a second study covering 2 years and 9 months of Denmark's law, there was a 6 percent reduction in daytime multiple-vehicle crashes and a 34 percent reduction in left-turn crashes.3 A 1994 Transport Canada study comparing 1990 model year vehicles with DRLs to 1989 vehicles without them found that DRLs reduced relevant daytime multiple-vehicle crashes by 11 percent.4

In the United States, a 1985 Institute study determined that commercial fleet passenger vehicles modified to operate with DRLs were involved in 7 percent fewer daytime multiple-vehicle crashes than similar vehicles without DRLs.5 A small-scale fleet study conducted in the 1960s found an 18 percent lower daytime multiple-vehicle crash rate for DRL-equipped vehicles.6 Multiple-vehicle daytime crashes account for about half of all police-reported crashes in the United States. A 2002 Institute study reported a 3 percent decline in daytime multiple-vehicle crash risk in nine US states concurrent with the introduction of DRLs.7 Federal researchers, using data collected nationwide, concluded that there was a 5 percent decline in daytime, two-vehicle, opposite-direction crashes and a 12 percent decline in fatal crashes with pedestrians and bicyclists