[2002]

If I'm not mistaken, low temps can also affect an EVs ability to accept high charge rates. Lithiums don't like taking in energy quickly, when exceptionally cold. I'm betting it's only an issue on the Clarity PHEV (if at all) with L2 charging, and on the Clarity EV with DCFC.

I think you are right. While driving I don't think that would affect much as far as HV or causing ICE to start, but HV+ might be slower to charge, and regen might be limited because regen can generate a lot of current, those tenths of a mile tick up pretty fast even on a slight downhill.

 

[ClarityDave]

It would be interesting to know if low temperature causes ICE to start. If it does I think it would just be for climate control, as the battery and electric motor will operate fine even in really cold weather. In fact the battery will function down to -22 F (battery temp not ambient temp).The only effect of cold is shorter EV range. But in a situation where the resistance heater isn't providing enough heat for the current setting, I can see where it might start up ICE to provide additional heat for the cabin. Don't know if it does or not but it's the only reason I can think of that ICE would start in cold weather EV driving.

My car also is garaged, but on occasion it might sit outside for a while in freezing weather. I have never had ICE turn on in those situations, but then again I am normally using the seat heater with a moderate climate setting. Next time I might try turning the heat up all the way and see if that causes ICE to start.

I tend to doubt that humidity is a factor since that is more of a summer thing. Clarity has an electric AC compressor so starting up ICE would not provide any additional power for AC.

We’ve had cool weather but I’m a die-hard when it comes to conserving battery power for driving so I have not yet turned on the cabin heat for the fall/winter season. We tend to not think of high humidity as a concern in colder weather but remember that it’s relative humidity. Right now at night the temperature is 34 degrees and the humidity is 93 percent. If the temperature drops just three more degrees over the course of the night we will hit the dew point and water will condense out of the air in the form of frost at 100 percent humidity. I have no idea for sure either why the ICE decided to run the last couple of times this week. The only difference I can come up with is the colder temperature. Another interesting point is that both times it ran after I’d already been driving for awhile, not when I first turned the car on.

 

[diemvy5]

I agree, but maybe instead of calculating the time to change the oil and maintain the engine, like how many months or how many years the car has been driven, we should calculate by the distance the car has traveled. Every car will be described how many kilometers it should run and then change the oil once. Regular oil changes will make the engine more durable, and stabilize the life of the vehicle

 

[EV Nerd]

I agree, but maybe instead of calculating the time to change the oil and maintain the engine, like how many months or how many years the car has been driven, we should calculate by the distance the car has traveled. Every car will be described how many kilometers it should run and then change the oil once. Regular oil changes will make the engine more durable, and stabilize the life of the vehicle

Because distance tells us nothing about how much the ICE has been run.