Reduce your Need for Headlights: Achieving Savings with Night Vision

[ShinyMew]

Humans do some strange things. Most of us find it terribly difficult to break bad habits and I can only imagine how much fuel could be collectively saved if the driving populations of each nation made small, simple changes to their transportation routine.

As we know, conventional headlights can reduce mileage by anywhere between 1-5%. In 2017, however, they're not really necessary. When dark, I have therefore started using this trick and a quality pair of Armasight night vision goggles and expect that with the fuel savings they will have paid for themselves in... well, 10-20 years.

I encourage everyone to follow suit so that it hopefully catches on with the masses. While I am often on the receiving end of a lot of honking and yelling when using this technique, that's just because the poor souls don't know any better. I haven't even crashed yet. Small savings achieved by millions of motorists would add up to commendable reductions in aggregate oil consumption by consumers.

Edit: Obviously, even though this 'technique' would provide marginally improved fuel economy, it is clearly grossly illegal and very unsafe. As the last paragraph (and the price of that particular night-vision unit) should suggest, this was a joke post. Clearly I would not make a very good comedian.

[oil pan 4]

If I'm using night vision while running dark the last thing I'm concerned about is fuel economy.

[ksa8907]

Great idea! Save money while risking your life!

[Stubby79]

The larger reason I have my lights on is so that others - those without night vision goggles - can see ME. I live in a city, so I can see fine without...but not a chance I'd go out there without them working.

If you want to save power/alternator drag, switch everything over to LEDs. I'm quite pleased with my ~$20 ebay LED headlights; they're about the same brightness as the power-hungry halogens but only use 1/4 the power. All bulbs converted over only pulls about 5 amps. You can go alternatorless if it's important enough.

[JockoT]

I cannot afford night vision goggles but, instead of night time lights, I use a white stick. I lean out the driver's window and stretch as far forward as I can. Must admit, it works better at city speeds than at highway speeds. I also make use of the extra light provided by other drivers flashing at me. A win win situation.

[Frank Lee]

Back in the day I blew out all four headlamps upon start-up in my '59 Bel Air- they went just like old-school flashbulbs- no doubt the mechanical voltage regulator was stuck. Anyway, it was the middle of the night. Luckily I had a hand-held spotlight so I did pretty much what Jocko said except it worked just fine at highway speed.

[Stubby79]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

Back in the day I blew out all four headlamps upon start-up in my '59 Bel Air- they went just like old-school flashbulbs- no doubt the mechanical voltage regulator was stuck. Anyway, it was the middle of the night. Luckily I had a hand-held spotlight so I did pretty much what Jocko said except it worked just fine at highway speed.

"Mechanical" voltage regulator? I never paid any attention to old cars...that just sounds nutty to me!

[ar5boosted]

Originally Posted by Stubby79

"Mechanical" voltage regulator? I never paid any attention to old cars...that just sounds nutty to me!

My grandfather mentioned that they had these on trains. So to control the Speed the driver would move a control-rod to the appropriate resistor needed to go at a particular speed.

If you have an alternator that spins, it's voltage will increase as rpm increases and if you went too fast obviously you would blow your globes.

I've never seen one but I'd be guessing some type of centrifugal switch to push to a higher resistor to limit current and voltage.

Yes, it's all solid state vregs now.

[Frank Lee]

Three solenoids and point sets.

[Stubby79]

I'd think controlling the field to control output wouldn't be too terribly difficult, even mechanically.