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      11-08-2017, 09:39 AM   #17
SteveinArizona
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Drives: BMW 530e
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Greater Phoenix

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Almaretto: Consumer's Reports says that the spotlight feature is not available in the US. Is that report out of date or is this something, like anti-dazzle--that can be coded to work?

"A glimpse toward the future
We also had the opportunity to drive a development vehicle equipped with BMWs Dynamic Light Spot. This system went one step further in not only detecting living obstacles, but by making them still more visible by shining a spotlightlike light on them to make the driver even more aware of their presence. Those of us who had a chance to drive this car commented that at times, the beam illuminated pedestrians we hadn’t even seen yet. The spotlight is generated from lights in the fog lamp housing, so it stays low and close to the road. It was quite effective.

Currently, standards for lighting in the United States prohibit technologies such as this. The spotlight output exceeds maximum levels of light currently permitted, with the intention to eliminate a headlight’s potential for glare to oncoming drivers. Regulations also prohibit headlights and other forward lights from turning on and off during operation, a function limited to identifying emergency vehicles. But the low position of the light from the fog lamp and the fact that it doesn’t strobe or flash as emergency vehicle lights do may mean that these limitations in the current lighting standards could conceivably be revised to allow such technologies. Features such as dynamic light spot are currently available on vehicles in Europe."
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