[2MuchTym]

We have the right of first approval on a '19 Clarity arriving in Boulder before the holidays. Many thanks on all the great information posted on the forum!

My wife commutes each day and determines which of two options to take based on travel time. We'd love to understand how the battery range might be impacted by traffic patterns and speed. Option 1 dissects Denver (via highway system) and is 37 miles. Due to rush hour, stop-and-go traffic, etc. the travel time is 65-70 minutes. Option 2 uses a beltway/tollway with speeds exceeding 75 mph and a distance of 58 miles. The travel time for option 2 is less than 60 minutes.

Taking the impact of cold weather on the batteries out of the equation, we'd appreciate any insight on what we should expect from the Clarity with these varying distances, driving patterns and speed.

Also a shout out to all of you that posted the deals being offered in your areas. In Colorado we have to order the car from the dealership and as a result we are being offered $599 off of MSRP. We are heading to the East Bay of CA for the holidays and via Truecar we are seeing discounts of $2600 off MSRP for Touring models. We confirmed with the Colorado department of revenue that we can purchase the car outside Colorado and still receive the tax credit when we title and register the Clarity ($5K in '19 and $4K in '20).

We also drove the Niro and PP. We liked the Niro due to the hatchback and the ability to throw a bike in the back of the car w/o dealing with a rack. The Niro transmission struggled below 25 mph and the 28 mile range desperately needs an update (not received in the newly announced 2020 model).

 

[4sallypat]

Option 1 would yield the best results using EV only and recharging at work. No fuel can be had if you judiciously use the regen paddles, coasting, and light braking on the one way trip.

Option 2 would be ICE (HV) mode using gasoline due to the high speeds and switching to EV when you slow down, bumper to bumper, or local city roads. This would give you the best performance and EV use both directions.

On the purchase out of state option, were you able to find out about avoiding the sales tax for CA ?
Would you drive it home or have it shipped using a shipping transporter ?

 

[2002]

All cars benefit from slower speeds because wind resistance at freeway speeds really kills efficiency. However in stop and go traffic ICE cars more than offset this benefit by throwing away energy every time they step on the brake. On the other hand EV, hybrids and PHEV can reclaim some (but not all) energy during braking, thus only slightly offsetting the benefit of the slower speed. So in most cases you will get better mileage in stop and go traffic compared to freeway speeds. Many people wrongly believe that it is regenerative braking itself that makes stop and go traffic efficient, but that is not true, if it were then if you are driving on a 45 mph road with no other cars you should constantly step on the brakes (or paddle) and speed up again. No that would be less efficient because again regen does not recover all of the energy loss of braking. It is the lower average speed in stop and go traffic that makes it efficient compared to high speed.

Of course you will find out for sure by doing both routes to see which if any saves gas/electricity and whether it is worth the extra time or aggravation.