Photo: SE
On November 10, we shared with our readers an intriguing story about how the Rivian R1T’s headlights did not deal very well with wet snow. Owners complained that it would freeze in front of the lenses, reducing their illumination capacity. Ironically, that seems deeply connected with how efficient LED headlights are. Well, the new Chevrolet Bolt EV has the same "problem."
The situation was shared by a Bolt driver in a group for Chevy Bolt fans and owners. We will not mention his name to protect his privacy, only his initials: SE. The fact is that this Bolt EV owner felt the headlights in his car were almost as if they were turned off. Instead of stopping every 10 miles to clean the headlights in the cold, SE preferred to follow other drivers to see where he was heading. As uncomfortable as that may be, we do not encourage other people affected by a similar problem to do the same.
SE also said that the car design must have contributed to the snow accumulation. Unlike the Bolt EV before the restyling, the headlights sit lower, inserted on the sides of the front bumper. The Chevy Bolt EV owner states that “the aerodynamics of the depression that the headlights lenses form actually attracted the thickest accumulation of snow.” However, the bumper styling also helps snow gather in that area.
If you have a good look at the picture he shared, you’ll see that even the DRLs have frozen water over them, which points to a more crucial aspect of this phenomenon: LED efficiency. Ironically, that makes an unlikely connection with combustion engines.
If anything emits heat apart from doing its primary job, that’s a sign that it is wasting energy. In combustion engines, 80% of the energy on average and 60% in the best machines gets lost as heat and friction. Standard lights also get pretty hot, which means that part of the electricity used to illuminate stuff turns into heat. With LED, that does not happen, but most automakers seem to have forgotten about that. Other Bolt EV owners said they have the same issues, and a Volt driver said he has already experienced that with his car as well.
Some aftermarket companies are starting to offer LED headlights with heated lenses for trucks. Volvo also used to offer heated headlight nozzles. Apart from a design in which aerodynamics may help avoid ice formation, those would be excellent ways to keep drivers from having to clean their headlights every once in a while in cold weather. Too bad that it is a bit late to solve that in vehicles already on the streets.
SE also said that the car design must have contributed to the snow accumulation. Unlike the Bolt EV before the restyling, the headlights sit lower, inserted on the sides of the front bumper. The Chevy Bolt EV owner states that “the aerodynamics of the depression that the headlights lenses form actually attracted the thickest accumulation of snow.” However, the bumper styling also helps snow gather in that area.
If you have a good look at the picture he shared, you’ll see that even the DRLs have frozen water over them, which points to a more crucial aspect of this phenomenon: LED efficiency. Ironically, that makes an unlikely connection with combustion engines.
If anything emits heat apart from doing its primary job, that’s a sign that it is wasting energy. In combustion engines, 80% of the energy on average and 60% in the best machines gets lost as heat and friction. Standard lights also get pretty hot, which means that part of the electricity used to illuminate stuff turns into heat. With LED, that does not happen, but most automakers seem to have forgotten about that. Other Bolt EV owners said they have the same issues, and a Volt driver said he has already experienced that with his car as well.
Some aftermarket companies are starting to offer LED headlights with heated lenses for trucks. Volvo also used to offer heated headlight nozzles. Apart from a design in which aerodynamics may help avoid ice formation, those would be excellent ways to keep drivers from having to clean their headlights every once in a while in cold weather. Too bad that it is a bit late to solve that in vehicles already on the streets.
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