CTA Bus with HIDs

[teck22]

I saw something interesting last night. There was a southbound #8 and it had HID headlights on them. I couldn't take a pic as I was driving at the time, and didn't get the bus number :-(. Is this something CTA is testing out or just one of those random things only one bus gets.

[Guest]

I saw something interesting last night. There was a southbound #8 and it had HID headlights on them. I couldn't take a pic as I was driving at the time, and didn't get the bus number :-(. Is this something CTA is testing out or just one of those random things only one bus gets.

First of all, what does HID stand for?

[ArcherRider]

The bus is NF #909 because I saw with different headlights.

[BusHunter]

First of all, what does HID stand for?

That means High Intensity Discharge. Those are the headlights that we first saw on luxury automobiles like Lexus. The ones that have the electric blue look. There supposed to be more energy efficent.

[OSUITS]

If i had to guess, I would say they were LED (which would be the same color). LED headlights seem to be the next big thing (saving on maintenance costs).

[Busjack]

If i had to guess, I would say they were LED (which would be the same color). LED headlights seem to be the next big thing (saving on maintenance costs).

An article on this subject in Car and Driver. However, given the price of either HIDs or LED headlights indicated, I doubt that CTA would lay out that much, unless it was some sort of government grant to test them.

[Chicago13]

An article on this subject in Car and Driver. However, given the price of either HIDs or LED headlights indicated, I doubt that CTA would lay out that much, unless it was some sort of government grant to test them.

I question why LED headlights would be so expensive when you can buy a flashlight with essentially the same technology for $5.99 at your local Ace Hardware, or a string of LED Christmas lights for under $20.

[Busjack]

I question why LED headlights would be so expensive when you can buy a flashlight with essentially the same technology for $5.99 at your local Ace Hardware, or a string of LED Christmas lights for under $20.

Read the article. There are also certain federal standards on how much light must be put out by a headlight and how it is focused. You can't just strap a flashlight on your hood. Also, the article notes the need for fans to cool the LEDs.

[Chicago13]

Read the article. There are also certain federal standards on how much light must be put out by a headlight and how it is focused. You can't just strap a flashlight on your hood. Also, the article notes the need for fans to cool the LEDs.

Still, the price is insanely excessive.

[OSUITS]

The last I saw a LED headlight retrofit kit for a standard transit headlight (both sides) was $1000. It seems like a lot, but over the lifetime of the bus there is a cost savings. You would included cost of the replacement lamps, union labor for replacing it, down time for the bus.This is the same reason why agencies are switching to as many LED lights as possible, since in theory, you will never have to replace a lamp on a bus.

For an example, to change one interior florescent bulb costs my agency $50 (part and labor).

[Busjack]

The last I saw a LED headlight retrofit kit for a standard transit headlight (both sides) was $1000....

Do you have a link to the manufacturer's product page? There certainly wasn't a mention of this on Luminator's.

[OSUITS]

Do you have a link to the manufacturer's product page? There certainly wasn't a mention of this on Luminator's.

Unfortunately I do not, I saw it on an option list prior to bidding out a new build. There were two vendors, I/O controls and Luminator.

[Busjack]

Unfortunately I do not, I saw it on an option list prior to bidding out a new build. There were two vendors, I/O controls and Luminator.

The specifications for the Pace 9 to 416 buses calls for "A headlamp system consisting of High Quality/Long Life LED lamps," so I guess they have become standard enough to get into the Standard Bus Spec.

[nflyer22]

I saw 1160 on the #62 yesterday evening downtown during rush hour. It had cool white HIDs on the front.

[FlyerD40LFR9710]

Our D40LFs in Baltimore have mostly been retrofitted with HIDs. Only caveat, the high beams weren't. Plus, I think these are standard on all New Flyer buses now.

[Scionic]

As far as the cost of the HIDs go, I think it would work itself out in the long run. My car (A Volkswagen GTI) came with them standard. I've had it for almost 5 years now, and they haven't burned out, faded, anything like that. The only maintainance I've had to do on them is reaiming them, and that's done by adjusting a screw - takes 90 seconds. The color, beam pattern, and brightness also makes it way easier to see what's ahead of me than halogen headlamps.

Now, the car I owned before it, an older Volkswagen, I only owned for about a year. I had to replace both headlamps (and the foglights) 2 or 3 times. Mine is perhaps an extreme example, but I think I make my point - almost no/minor maintainance is generally going to trump periodic, somewhat random maintainance/replacement.

[OSUITS]

The lights you area seeing on the buses are LED, not HID, which are two different technologies.

Dialight has also announced LED headlights:

http://www.masstransitmag.com/publication/article.jsp?siteSection=1&id=13430