« GM Cuts Production at 6 Plants |
Main
| Chrysler to cut body weight by 13% »
August 23, 2007
In a big garage-size laboratory in Ford’s sprawling research complex in Dearborn, Mich., Mahendra Dassanayake stands beneath a planetarium-like dome that can replicate the sun.
It can surround new cars and trucks with an eye-squinting 5,000 watts of light. Or mimic the fading light of dusk. Or make the room turn black, like a backwoods street where there are no city lights or ambient light from the stars or moon.
The research here is about improving fuel economy with more efficient lights, such as those that use light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs, according to the Detoit Free Press.
About 5% of fuel consumption goes directly to power a vehicle’s interior and exterior lights, said Dassanayake, a senior staff technology specialist at Ford. So, more efficient lighting systems, which offer good luminosity with less power, could ultimately save consumers at the gas pump.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth 
at 10:51 AM to Ford
, Technology
| Permalink
Please be civil. Vicious comments, personal attacks and profanity won't be published.
