I am about a week and a half into owning my 2018 Clarity. I am still learning the ropes a bit. Still seeing how the car has adjusted to my driving patterns.
I have a road trip coming up in a couple of weeks. I haven't done a ton of highway driving on it yet, I anticipate having maybe 2 more highway trips prior to the big road trip.
I have been reading on the forum strategies on long trips and what not. But, it seems like people have varied experiences and opinions. So, I thought I might put my specific plans forward, to see if you might have thoughts on my best course of action.
The itinerary:
I will be driving from Southern Indiana to Nashville, one-way will be about 210 miles, but maybe a little bit more, figuring for bathroom breaks, possible detours and what not. I plan to start out with a full tank of gas, and as close to a full battery as possible.
It will be approximately 5 miles from my home to the interstate, and then it will be pretty much all interstate till I get to Nashville. There IS a charging station at my hotel, so I do want to use up my battery, because if I have a way to charge it for free...I definitely want to take advantage of that. I am under the impression that driving in HV mode will maintain the battery level, AND also use more gas to maintain said battery level. My hotel is right off the interstate, so there isn't a ton of "in town" driving to be done once we get to Nashville. Maybe if there is traffic.
Some people have said to use up the battery at the beginning, some have said to save it to the end. Some have said to use the battery to about 50% then switch to HV mode. I want to get the best bang for my buck for sure. I feel like....if I drive on the interstate on EV, that's just a waste of charge, because the battery doesn't go as far at interstate speeds. But, I don't want to waste gas in HV mode either.
What would be your plan of attack in my position?
I have a road trip coming up in a couple of weeks. I haven't done a ton of highway driving on it yet, I anticipate having maybe 2 more highway trips prior to the big road trip.
I have been reading on the forum strategies on long trips and what not. But, it seems like people have varied experiences and opinions. So, I thought I might put my specific plans forward, to see if you might have thoughts on my best course of action.
The itinerary:
I will be driving from Southern Indiana to Nashville, one-way will be about 210 miles, but maybe a little bit more, figuring for bathroom breaks, possible detours and what not. I plan to start out with a full tank of gas, and as close to a full battery as possible.
It will be approximately 5 miles from my home to the interstate, and then it will be pretty much all interstate till I get to Nashville. There IS a charging station at my hotel, so I do want to use up my battery, because if I have a way to charge it for free...I definitely want to take advantage of that. I am under the impression that driving in HV mode will maintain the battery level, AND also use more gas to maintain said battery level. My hotel is right off the interstate, so there isn't a ton of "in town" driving to be done once we get to Nashville. Maybe if there is traffic.
Some people have said to use up the battery at the beginning, some have said to save it to the end. Some have said to use the battery to about 50% then switch to HV mode. I want to get the best bang for my buck for sure. I feel like....if I drive on the interstate on EV, that's just a waste of charge, because the battery doesn't go as far at interstate speeds. But, I don't want to waste gas in HV mode either.
What would be your plan of attack in my position?