[Corey]

Hi
Im new to this forum. I am currently in a Lexus ES300h (hybrid) average around 38 MPG.
I drive 150 miles round trip (5 days a week). About 25 miles on local roads and 125 miles at Highway speeds 70mph avg.
In Southern California so avg temps around 70 (sorry to those in the polar vortex)

Im looking to pick up a 2018 Clarity Plug In but had a few questions.

If Im charging every night with a 220v charger what can I expect the total range to be in the ECO mode vs HV mode.

Also I understand there are 2 HV modes. If once I use up the battery (first 48 or so miles) and I drive the rest in HV Charge mode , will that :
Recharge the battery ? Ive heard it can recharge about 50%? If so how long to do that?
What is the MPG in HV Charge mode vs regular HV mode

Any info is greatly appreciated

Thanks
Corey

 

[Groves Cooke]

If I am driving a route that is longer than my EV distance, I will start out in EV mode. When the battery is less than 3/4s charged I will switch to HV mode. On the return trip I will switch back to EV mode when I am within the distance where EV mode will get me home. If you not driving 80 mph or traversing a lot of hills, the battery will remain charged at about the same level when you change from EV to HV.

 

[BillM]

Hi Corey,

I think you will definitely be using HV mode on the highways, which should give you over 300 miles. I frequently drive the I5 and I405, pretty level roads, which do conserve much of the EV range, and save EV range for the city. The HV being a hybrid mode does try to conserve charge back to the battery whenever possible, eg on your downhills. It is hard to give very exact estimates of charge usage,however, for reasons below:

BY the way, have you gotten a hold of the user's manual yet? There there is a very complete description of the Clarity operations (not to be confused with the more limited info in theUser Guide) which is freely available at owners.honda.com. In brief, the three driving modes: ECO, normal, and SPORT, which for the most part merely map the same position of the accelerator pedal into lower, medium, and higher acceleration requests, respectively. There are the three running modes: EV, HV, HV charge, which direct the energy strategies towards primarily battery usage, hybrid usage (primarily engine usage with concern to save charge), engine usage (with concern to increase battery charge up to 58%).
At high accelerations any of the driving modes will become HV even if you started out in EV, to take advantage of combining the engine power with battery power.

And now to reveal a secret that your manual never quite mentions: Clarity knows exactly how much charge you put in the battery yesterday, but it does not know exactly how many miles those charges will take you today! It does not know: where you are going, how many people and how much cargo you will be hauling, how much heat or air-conditioning you or your guests feel the need to use, how loud you like your audio, whether there will be more up hills than down hills and how steep the slopes it will encounter, how good the roads are, whether you will be facing head winds or tail winds, whether you will be needing the defroster or windshield wipers, whether you are an aggressive driver today or more laid back and constant, etc.

It seems to estimate EV mileage based on what you did yesterday. So, if you want to see lots of miles on the estimated displayed EV mileage range tomorrow, remember to drive today in ECO mode, shut off the audio, and enjoy a serene quiet ride.

 

[mowcowbell]

Hi
Im new to this forum. I am currently in a Lexus ES300h (hybrid) average around 38 MPG.
I drive 150 miles round trip (5 days a week). About 25 miles on local roads and 125 miles at Highway speeds 70mph avg.
In Southern California so avg temps around 70 (sorry to those in the polar vortex)

Im looking to pick up a 2018 Clarity Plug In but had a few questions.

If Im charging every night with a 220v charger what can I expect the total range to be in the ECO mode vs HV mode.

Also I understand there are 2 HV modes. If once I use up the battery (first 48 or so miles) and I drive the rest in HV Charge mode , will that :
Recharge the battery ? Ive heard it can recharge about 50%? If so how long to do that?
What is the MPG in HV Charge mode vs regular HV mode

Any info is greatly appreciated

Thanks
Corey

Hi Corey -

While I don't own a Clarity (yet... still shopping), I have read that it takes about one hour of highway speed driving to charge the battery to ~50% in HV Charge mode. The MPG you'll see while in HV Charge mode will drop into the 30's.

I'm still doing all the math on the economy of a PHEV in my situation. Gasoline is very cheap in my area (currently $1.79 gallon) and electricity costs about .12 cents per Kwh. It's about a wash on cost to drive on electrons vs gasoline. I guess that's a nice situation to be in. My current vehicle is a 2017 Subaru Outback 2.5 Limited. On a average commute, I see about 25 mpg.

Hope you enjoy your new Clarity!

 

[4sallypat]

Corey,
Does your work have a charge station available ? That would help determine if you need to burn less fuel.
Range on your trip depends on what @CarNewby explained....

Since I live in So Cal too, I would drive in 100% EV mode from start to the freeway.
If the freeway is slow and congested as it normally is (I use the 10 freeway where we have FastTrak) - I use EV mode until it goes down to 3-4 bars then switch to HV Charge to recharge the batteries while on the freeway.

While freeway driving, if speeds are high (over 50 mph), instead of using EV, I switch to HV mode for better acceleration, save the battery, and better speed control.

You should get an average MPG around 70-80 mpg (combined EV range + fuel) on your daily commute.
HV mode for 100 miles = 45-50 mpg + EV mode for 50 miles = over 110mpgE -> 70-80 mpg on your 150 mile commute.

Also, make sure you apply for your CA HOV stickers (Purple) as soon as you sign the contract.
The HOV lane will be less congested since the older white and green stickered cars are no longer allowed.