New to Clarity Forum (Hi!) and EV Range Q's

2459 Views 18 Replies 11 Participants Last post by EV Nerd, 2 mo ago

Maurityo

Discussion Starter · Mar 22, 2022

Hi there nice Clarity Community!
I'm new to the Forum and I recently purchased a 2019 PHEV in Canada... I was wondering for 2018/2019 owners, usually how much EV range do you get with a full charge? Would be nice to hear from someone living close to the US/Canada border, as temperatures / weather conditions are more alike. So far, I have fully charged a couple of times and I don't get anything over 55 - 60 KM (36 Miles). I live in a condo, so I'm charging at Charge Point stations mainly, and I live in Vancouver, whish is a bit hilly for driving but not too cold in the winter... Does this have anything to do with total EV range?

Sorry if there is a thread about this already, I'll gladly follow any link any of you can share with me. Thanks everyone!

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1 - 19 of 19 Posts

eticket71

· #2 · Mar 22, 2022

Maurityo said:
Hi there nice Clarity Community!
I'm new to the Forum and I recently purchased a 2019 PHEV in Canada... I was wondering for 2018/2019 owners, usually how much EV range do you get with a full charge? Would be nice to hear from someone living close to the US/Canada border, as temperatures / weather conditions are more alike. So far, I have fully charged a couple of times and I don't get anything over 55 - 60 KM (36 Miles). I live in a condo, so I'm charging at Charge Point stations mainly, and I live in Vancouver, whish is a bit hilly for driving but not too cold in the winter... Does this have anything to do with total EV range?

Sorry if there is a thread about this already, I'll gladly follow any link any of you can share with me. Thanks everyone!

Hi and welcome! I also recently got a 2019. I live in Ohio so kinda close. It was real cold recently, and like you I was getting 37 miles on a full charge. It’s now warmer, and it went up a bit, to like 40 so I’m optimistic! I heard here that the range is temperature related. Keep reading, there’s a lot of great info here

Reactions: 1

EV Nerd

· #3 · Mar 23, 2022

Maurityo said:
Hi there nice Clarity Community!
I'm new to the Forum and I recently purchased a 2019 PHEV in Canada... I was wondering for 2018/2019 owners, usually how much EV range do you get with a full charge? Would be nice to hear from someone living close to the US/Canada border, as temperatures / weather conditions are more alike. So far, I have fully charged a couple of times and I don't get anything over 55 - 60 KM (36 Miles). I live in a condo, so I'm charging at Charge Point stations mainly, and I live in Vancouver, whish is a bit hilly for driving but not too cold in the winter... Does this have anything to do with total EV range?

Sorry if there is a thread about this already, I'll gladly follow any link any of you can share with me. Thanks everyone!

Getting a significantly lower range during cold weather is common in pretty much all EVs. Lithium battery chemistries are notorious for losing available capacity when cold, but fortunately, said capacity loss usually comes back as the weather warms.

Additionally, you're probably using more of the heater when driving during cold weather, and that saps range as well. You can help this by using the seat heaters more, and the HVAC less, as the seat heaters are more efficient at warming the body directly, rather than the HVAC warming the air. You can also precondition the car to warm up the cabin before you leave, while it's still hooked up to EVSE, so the energy required to preheat the cabin isn't coming from the battery.

Welcome, and enjoy your "new" Clarity.

Reactions: 3

ClarityDave

· #4 · Mar 23, 2022

Maurityo said:
Hi there nice Clarity Community!
I'm new to the Forum and I recently purchased a 2019 PHEV in Canada... I was wondering for 2018/2019 owners, usually how much EV range do you get with a full charge? Would be nice to hear from someone living close to the US/Canada border, as temperatures / weather conditions are more alike. So far, I have fully charged a couple of times and I don't get anything over 55 - 60 KM (36 Miles). I live in a condo, so I'm charging at Charge Point stations mainly, and I live in Vancouver, whish is a bit hilly for driving but not too cold in the winter... Does this have anything to do with total EV range?

Sorry if there is a thread about this already, I'll gladly follow any link any of you can share with me. Thanks everyone!

I have found that driving an EV has made me more cognizant of conserving energy. I drive much differently than I did when I drove a regular car. If you concentrate on driving more efficiently you should be able to easily get 50+ miles out of a full charge even in the climate where you live.

Reactions: 3

Madmartigen

· #5 · Mar 23, 2022

Maurityo said:
Hi there nice Clarity Community!
I'm new to the Forum and I recently purchased a 2019 PHEV in Canada... I was wondering for 2018/2019 owners, usually how much EV range do you get with a full charge? Would be nice to hear from someone living close to the US/Canada border, as temperatures / weather conditions are more alike. So far, I have fully charged a couple of times and I don't get anything over 55 - 60 KM (36 Miles). I live in a condo, so I'm charging at Charge Point stations mainly, and I live in Vancouver, whish is a bit hilly for driving but not too cold in the winter... Does this have anything to do with total EV range?

Sorry if there is a thread about this already, I'll gladly follow any link any of you can share with me. Thanks everyone!

Sorry, I am not near Vancouver. I do, however, drive in a fairly hilly area. Combine that with some lower than normal temps this year for me, and that range is spot on. I have a 2021 that I purchased in June. Now that temperatures are rising a bit, I'm inching up to the 60km to 65km range more regularly. Since you can't leave it on the charger and precondition for "free," the only other improvement you can do is to leave climate controls off and use the seat heater. That can improve range (if you aren't already doing that.)

Welcome to the forum and to the car. I am very happy with it.

Reactions: 1

GraceGreek

· #6 · Mar 24, 2022

I am in Texas with a 2018, I regularly achieve 45-50 mpc. Weather is a major influencer on mileage. On colder days I turn on my heated seats, that heats me and the cabin at a much lower battery burn rate than the heater with blower. When using A/C I keep the blower turned down. Rainy days and wipers also affect battery burn rate but not as impactful as the heater - A/C blower.

Reactions: 2

EV Nerd

· #7 · Mar 24, 2022

GraceGreek said:
I am in Texas with a 2018, I regularly achieve 45-50 mpc. Weather is a major influencer on mileage. On colder days I turn on my heated seats, that heats me and the cabin at a much lower battery burn rate than the heater with blower. When using A/C I keep the blower turned down. Rainy days and wipers also affect battery burn rate but not as impactful as the heater - A/C blower.

I'm guessing that wipers provide a relatively negligible load. The bigger issue is the tires having to push all that water away.

Reactions: 3

4sallypat

· #8 · Mar 27, 2022

OP wait until summer when the range really shines.

Make sure you are driving energy conservative like @ClarityDave mentioned.

Living in the desert southwest, I get 50-60+ miles per charge (70-100 km) all year around...

Reactions: 1

EV Nerd

· #9 · Mar 27, 2022

4sallypat said:
OP wait until summer when the range really shines.

Make sure you are driving energy conservative like @ClarityDave mentioned.

Living in the desert southwest, I get 50-60+ miles per charge (70-100 km) all year around...

I like the adage developed in the EV-1 days:

"Drive like there's a raw egg between your foot and the go pedal."

Reactions: 2

Maurityo

Discussion Starter · #10 · Mar 29, 2022

GraceGreek said:
I am in Texas with a 2018, I regularly achieve 45-50 mpc. Weather is a major influencer on mileage. On colder days I turn on my heated seats, that heats me and the cabin at a much lower battery burn rate than the heater with blower. When using A/C I keep the blower turned down. Rainy days and wipers also affect battery burn rate but not as impactful as the heater - A/C blower.

Thanks for the input... Something I was wondering about climate control, and how to optimize it (sorry, my previous car was a Mazda 2014 and I'm not familiar with new car's climate systems)? Is it more efficient to leave it in the "Auto" mode or better to have the A/C Off all the time and blowers at low level, and just turn the dial into a comfortable temperature (21 Celsius - 70ish Farehnheit)? I realized the fan is someway always on, again, comparing to my old Mazda...

Reactions: 1

2002

· #11 · Mar 29, 2022

Maurityo said:
Thanks for the input... Something I was wondering about climate control, and how to optimize it (sorry, my previous car was a Mazda 2014 and I'm not familiar with new car's climate systems)? Is it more efficient to leave it in the "Auto" mode or better to have the A/C Off all the time and blowers at low level, and just turn the dial into a comfortable temperature (21 Celsius - 70ish Farehnheit)? I realized the fan is someway always on, again, comparing to my old Mazda...

Auto mode on or off probably doesn't make much difference. Auto just controls fan speed, controls which register the air comes out of (floor, face, both, etc) and recirculation mode. Make a change to any one of these and Auto automatically shuts off.

Actually in theory a higher fan speed would be most efficient because then you are getting the maximum amount of heat from the heater coils or cold air from the evaporator coils. But most people don't like air blowing on them so the Auto system will start out with higher fan speed until the cabin heats up (or cools down) then it lowers the fan speed to the minimum that will maintain the set temperature.

What makes a much bigger difference is to use the seat heater in winter as that runs on the 12V system and does not use very much electricity. But even being low powered it is pretty effective because it warms just you not the entire cabin. Whereas cabin heat comes from the high voltage resistance heater located in the engine compartment which heats coolant that gets circulated into the cabin via the normal heater hoses. In milder weather you can often get by with just the seat heater. And in colder weather by using the seat heater you can usually be comfortable with a lower cabin temperature, thus using less resistance heat. Unfortunately in HV mode the car seems to almost never use engine heat from what we can tell, except in extremely cold weather when the resistance heater is not sufficient.

A/C usage doesn't affect mileage as much as the resistance heater, so during summer just use as much A/C as needed to be comfortable. In milder weather you can turn on just the fan, but unfortunately the method to do this is clunky. Just turning off Auto doesn't turn off the A/C compressor. The only way to turn off the A/C compressor is to go into the climate screen, then press the A/C Off button so that Off is highlighted. If neither the A/C On or Off buttons are highlighted then A/C is on. In other words if the A/C On button is highlighted, or if neither the A/C On or Off buttons are highlighted, it's the exact same thing. I don't know if that is the stupidest thing in the Clarity but it's for sure in the top ten.

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Reactions: 1

ClarityDave

· #12 · Mar 30, 2022

2002 said:
Auto mode on or off probably doesn't make much difference. Auto just controls fan speed, controls which register the air comes out of (floor, face, both, etc) and recirculation mode. Make a change to any one of these and Auto automatically shuts off.

Actually in theory a higher fan speed would be most efficient because then you are getting the maximum amount of heat from the heater coils or cold air from the evaporator coils. But most people don't like air blowing on them so the Auto system will start out with higher fan speed until the cabin heats up (or cools down) then it lowers the fan speed to the minimum that will maintain the set temperature.

What makes a much bigger difference is to use the seat heater in winter as that runs on the 12V system and does not use very much electricity. But even being low powered it is pretty effective because it warms just you not the entire cabin. Whereas cabin heat comes from the high voltage resistance heater located in the engine compartment which heats coolant that gets circulated into the cabin via the normal heater hoses. In milder weather you can often get by with just the seat heater. And in colder weather by using the seat heater you can usually be comfortable with a lower cabin temperature, thus using less resistance heat. Unfortunately in HV mode the car seems to almost never use engine heat from what we can tell, except in extremely cold weather when the resistance heater is not sufficient.

A/C usage doesn't affect mileage as much as the resistance heater, so during summer just use as much A/C as needed to be comfortable. In milder weather you can turn on just the fan, but unfortunately the method to do this is clunky. Just turning off Auto doesn't turn off the A/C compressor. The only way to turn off the A/C compressor is to go into the climate screen, then press the A/C Off button so that Off is highlighted. If neither the A/C On or Off buttons are highlighted then A/C is on. In other words if the A/C On button is highlighted, or if neither the A/C On or Off buttons are highlighted, it's the exact same thing. I don't know if that is the stupidest thing in the Clarity but it's for sure in the top ten.

In my opinion another stupid thing is the tire pressure management system. 👎🏼

Reactions: 1

EV Nerd

· #13 · Mar 30, 2022

ClarityDave said:
In my opinion another stupid thing is the tire pressure management system. 👎🏼

Which is why I put on my own. I hate "idiot" light-types of indicators. Give me some freakin' data. I'm not an idiot!

The one I bought was per the recommendation of someone on this forum, so they get all the credit. (I forget who...sorry!) It works great!

smile.amazon.com

Amazon.com: Tymate Tire Pressure Monitoring System CL205 - Full-Color Screen, 6 Alarm Modes, CLA Charging, with 4 TPMS Sensors (0-6 Bar / 0-87 PSI) : Automotive

Buy Tymate Tire Pressure Monitoring System CL205 - Full-Color Screen, 6 Alarm Modes, CLA Charging, with 4 TPMS Sensors (0-6 Bar / 0-87 PSI): Aftermarket Systems - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

smile.amazon.com

Reactions: 1

2002

· #14 · Mar 30, 2022

EV Nerd said:
Which is why I put on my own. I hate "idiot" light-types of indicators. Give me some freakin' data. I'm not an idiot!

The one I bought was per the recommendation of someone on this forum, so they get all the credit. (I forget who...sorry!) It works great!

Amazon.com: Tymate Tire Pressure Monitoring System CL205 - Full-Color Screen, 6 Alarm Modes, CLA Charging, with 4 TPMS Sensors (0-6 Bar / 0-87 PSI) : Automotive

Buy Tymate Tire Pressure Monitoring System CL205 - Full-Color Screen, 6 Alarm Modes, CLA Charging, with 4 TPMS Sensors (0-6 Bar / 0-87 PSI): Aftermarket Systems - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

smile.amazon.com

That's the one I got. I remember when you first got it you mentioned it can be hard to see where it is located. I kind of wish it was always visible but I am now used to the fact that I just have to tilt my head down to see it. It's been interesting watching it the past couple of months as we come out of winter and the temperatures fluctuate. We had a cold snap for a few days and they all went down to 34 psi, I thought about adding air but in a few days things warmed up some and they were back to 36, and most recently at 38. As the temperature keeps rising if the pressures go above 38 I will probably let a little bit of air out.

You also mentioned there is no way to change the temperature display to Fahrenheit, I agree that is sort of annoying. I guess maybe I could break down and start actually learning Celsius!

EV Nerd

· #15 · Mar 30, 2022

2002 said:
That's the one I got. I remember when you first got it you mentioned it can be hard to see where it is located. I kind of wish it was always visible but I am now used to the fact that I just have to tilt my head down to see it. It's been interesting watching it the past couple of months as we come out of winter and the temperatures fluctuate. We had a cold snap for a few days and they all went down to 34 psi, I thought about adding air but in a few days things warmed up some and they were back to 36, and most recently at 38. As the temperature keeps rising if the pressures go above 38 I will probably let a little bit of air out.

You also mentioned there is no way to change the temperature display to Fahrenheit, I agree that is sort of annoying. I guess maybe I could break down and start actually learning Celsius!

I learned that 22°C is pretty close to 72°F, and a (sloppy) rule of thumb is that a Celsius degree is about twice the size of a Fahrenheit degree, and adjust accordingly. (It's really 9/5 as big, but close enough for feel.) If I want closer than a rough approximation, I get out the calculator, and use (°F − 32) × 5/9 = °C or (°C × 9/5) + 32 = °F .

You'd think I'd have a better "feel" for it (outside the human comfort zone), after teaching Chemistry and Physics for twenty years, but nope...

polarbear

· #16 · Apr 2, 2022

Thanks for this information

MCali

· #17 · Apr 5, 2022

Maurityo said:
Hi there nice Clarity Community!
I'm new to the Forum and I recently purchased a 2019 PHEV in Canada... I was wondering for 2018/2019 owners, usually how much EV range do you get with a full charge? Would be nice to hear from someone living close to the US/Canada border, as temperatures / weather conditions are more alike. So far, I have fully charged a couple of times and I don't get anything over 55 - 60 KM (36 Miles). I live in a condo, so I'm charging at Charge Point stations mainly, and I live in Vancouver, whish is a bit hilly for driving but not too cold in the winter... Does this have anything to do with total EV range?

Sorry if there is a thread about this already, I'll gladly follow any link any of you can share with me. Thanks everyone!

I am not sure the exact mileage because I do not track it. However going by the vehicle’s read out at first when reset it doesn’t know your driving style. It said 47 miles for me on a full charge.

I am a savage driver and if the car could go over a 100 I would

But when driving crazy it says I get about 40 to 42 on a full charge. But currently getting between 133-135 mpg and usually fill up once a month to 5 weeks. MPG drops when gas motor is obviously consuming fuel.

I am certain most people on here can easily hit 150 mpg, since most people don’t drive like I do.

Stun

· #18 · 2 mo ago

Bought my Clarity PHEV on Dec 30,02019. First year we got anywhere from 45-51 miles on a charge; we live in So. California so no real cold conditions, keep the car in the garage. Second year it started to consistently decline, low 40 to mid 40s. Took it to the dealer who checked the battery and said it was good in late 2021. This year it is down to 29-35 miles per full charge. Same two drivers, same terrain, use level 1 charger. While lots of folks call the EV range readout a "guessometer" we found it compared pretty close to the actual odometer mileage. Today again took it in and this time got the battery level printout which shows 55Amp-hrs, almost 100% of spec. The dealer also said they would reset the trip odometer which might fix the problem. I insisted the dealer service dept. contact Honda Engineering and figure out why the mileage is so low, although I'm not totally confident they really will.

So, I'm wondering if any Clarity PHEV owners have had similar experiences; it seems to me IF the battery really is fine that the only other variable could be the onboard computer/charging system that fails to fully charge the battery yet shows 100% charge on the display screen.

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EV Nerd

· #19 · 2 mo ago

Stun said:
Bought my Clarity PHEV on Dec 30,02019. First year we got anywhere from 45-51 miles on a charge; we live in So. California so no real cold conditions, keep the car in the garage. Second year it started to consistently decline, low 40 to mid 40s. Took it to the dealer who checked the battery and said it was good in late 2021. This year it is down to 29-35 miles per full charge. Same two drivers, same terrain, use level 1 charger. While lots of folks call the EV range readout a "guessometer" we found it compared pretty close to the actual odometer mileage. Today again took it in and this time got the battery level printout which shows 55Amp-hrs, almost 100% of spec. The dealer also said they would reset the trip odometer which might fix the problem. I insisted the dealer service dept. contact Honda Engineering and figure out why the mileage is so low, although I'm not totally confident they really will.

So, I'm wondering if any Clarity PHEV owners have had similar experiences; it seems to me IF the battery really is fine that the only other variable could be the onboard computer/charging system that fails to fully charge the battery yet shows 100% charge on the display screen.

There are OBDII port devices available on the cheap (Amazon) that can read the battery specs, if you want to verify the remaining capacity for yourself. IIRC, there are threads on this forum that describe how to do it.

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