[blastfurnace]

Scheduled to pick up my a 2018 Clarity Touring tomorrow.

I'm doing the right thing, right?

Going from a 320 HP BMW X1 that needs premium fuel and gets 22 mpg to this. Less exciting, much better stewardship?

Right?

 

[Clarity_newbie]

blastfurnace

As far as I am concerned the Clarity is a fine vehicle. One year and 10k miles later...no regrets at all.

Since you are getting a 2018...I would insist on having the dealer service folks conduct the battery capacity test which will show hybrid battery health. 55 amps is top of the range. One or two points drop may be ok but if it is in the 40's that is a red flag. I would want to know that number before signing as it can be obtained rather easily.

There's always lemons in every production run of every make and every model. Luck of the draw really.

Which dealer in SC did you purchase from? I bought from Vic Bailey Honda in GSP.

 

[Rob43]

Scheduled to pick up my a 2018 Clarity Touring tomorrow.

I'm doing the right thing, right?

Going from a 320 HP BMW X1 that needs premium fuel and gets 22 mpg to this. Less exciting, much better stewardship?

Right?

Yep, pull the trigger.

I would venture to say that handling might be much closer than you expect, I say that because we are comparing a higher center of gravity SUV to a sedan, both are fairly close in curb weight. If you want "better" handling, sacrifice ~5 to ~10% of your fuel economy and switch over to a non LRR tire. There are plenty of great Ultra High Performance All-Season tires that will transform your Clarity, so consider giving up a little MPG to get a lot of grip.

I personally run a non LRR tire & love it, for me it was absolutely the right decision.



Rob43


PS, Charge your clarity up at Level 2 speeds (~5 1/2 hrs) using your OE 120v EVSE.

 

[blastfurnace]

blastfurnace

As far as I am concerned the Clarity is a fine vehicle. One year and 10k miles later...no regrets at all.

Since you are getting a 2018...I would insist on having the dealer service folks conduct the battery capacity test which will show hybrid battery health. 55 amps is top of the range. One or two points drop may be ok but if it is in the 40's that is a red flag. I would want to know that number before signing as it can be obtained rather easily.

There's always lemons in every production run of every make and every model. Luck of the draw really.

Which dealer in SC did you purchase from? I bought from Vic Bailey Honda in GSP.

I actually looked at Vic Bailey, but think I'm going with Dick Brooks in Greer...they just had a slightly better deal.

I will call them this morning to get the battery capacity test done. Thanks!

 

[blastfurnace]

PS, Charge your clarity up at Level 2 speeds (~5 1/2 hrs) using your OE 120v EVSE.

Not sure what this means, but I will look into it. We are keeping the X1 and trading in a MiniCooper, so that makes this decision a lot easier!

 

[2002]

PS, Charge your clarity up at Level 2 speeds (~5 1/2 hrs) using your OE 120v EVSE.

A bit overzealous maybe? They haven't even bought the car yet.

It would be like telling someone who is about to buy their first smartphone to be sure and root their phone and overclock it.

Although that's not really the best analogy because unlike overclocking, in the case of level 2 charging there are manufacturer approved methods of doing it. I'm not arguing against your hack, I just think it's unusual unsolicited advice to be offering someone who is just asking for help in making their first PHEV purchase.

 

[Rob43]

A bit overzealous maybe? They haven't even bought the car yet.

It would be like telling someone who is about to buy their first smartphone to be sure and root their phone and overclock it.

Although that's not really the best analogy because unlike overclocking, in the case of level 2 charging there are manufacturer approved methods of doing it. I'm not arguing against your hack, I just think it's unusual unsolicited advice to be offering someone who is just asking for help in making their first PHEV purchase.

That's your opinion, not mine.

Once blastfurance experiences the glacier slow charge up time using his OE EVSE unit, he might want to switch to a Level 2 EVSE provided he has a 240 volt outlet near his Clarity.

I am letting him know he can accomplish fast charging for very little money.



Rob43

 

[obermd]

That's your opinion, not mine.

Once blastfurance experiences the glacier slow charge up time using his OE EVSE unit, he might want to switch to a Level 2 EVSE provided he has a 240 volt outlet near his Clarity.

I am letting him know he can accomplish fast charging for very little money.



Rob43

I drove my Volt for almost two years and nearly 39K miles using 120v 12 amp charging. In that time I only had one instance where I ran out of battery due to an insufficient partial charge that a L2 charger would have resolved. While having the L2 charging is nice, for most people most of the time L1 overnight charging is sufficient. I didn't put in the L2 charging until I had two PHEVs - I was using an existing 120V 20 amp circuit for the charging. When I bought this house I put in a pair of 120V 20amp 10 gauge circuits to drive Christmas lights - one was just converted to 240V.

I think you're a little premature on this other than to let OP know that there is a significant difference between L1 and L2 charging.

 

[Rob43]

Forums are all about sharing new ideas & opinions.

If we as a community didn't share new ideas & opinions, this forum & every other forum would be a dry well.



Rob43

 

[shorn]

Liking a car is subjective, and everyone has their owns thoughts and preferences.

I've owned my car (2018 Honda Clarity - Plug In Hybrid) for 1 year - 17500 miles. It's really nice and I have no complaints. Super comfortable and worth it's cost, especially with the government incentives. I love riding in the car pool lane, and paying so little for gasoline. I mostly drive electric, probably over 90 % of miles driven. It has a great range of about 400 miles. It's a beautiful car. Music is important to me. I love the sound quality of the stereo that came with the car -but still added a subwoofer for extra oomph.

I had a bad experience with the service department of Honda. On the first maintenance, they left off a engine cap and disconnected a glove box hinge. That was not a problem with the car or the design, but with the service department employee.

It's a great car! Enjoy!

 

[2002]

Forums are all about sharing new ideas & opinions.

If we as a community didn't share new ideas & opinions, this forum & every other forum would be a dry well.

Kind of stretching things there, I didn't say anything to indicate that I am against sharing new ideas and opinions.

Is there a rule what we can tell people who are about to purchase a PHEV for the first time and are asking for advice? No, but there is a lot for them to absorb in making the decision and (yes in my opinion) I don't see how telling them about a hack enabling them to use the OEM cable for level 2 charging does anything to help them at this time. By the time they are ready to even think about Level 2 charging, if ever, your interesting and valuable thread is there waiting for them. And I am not saying that sarcastically I have found that thread and the discussions very interesting and educational. But it's what I would consider an advanced post-purchase topic. My opinion.