[smachanoff]

We just leased a 2018 Clarity and absolutely love the car but are trying to better understand the cars default behavior in EV / HV modes and when to use the EV, HV an HV Charge settings. We were told by the dealer if we did not press the EV, HV, or Sport buttons that the car would automatically switch from EV to HV modes when needed but this has not been our observation. The car was delivered to us with a full charge but the second day we had the car, my wife drove 45 miles on the interstate and the charge went to 2 bars and indicated we had 2 miles remaining on EV. Is this normal behavior? We decided to use the HV charge mode at this point, but would have expected the car to do this on its own, before the battery was depleted so low. Even in HV mode it does not seem to automatically charge the system and the battery continues to deplete. Any information on the default behavior would be appreciated. Also we are looking for recommendations for preserving the life of the batteries. Is it better to run them down to near zero before recharging or is it OK to top off the charge whenever we can? The latter is our preference, but we do not want to impact the longevity of the batteries, by doing so.

 

[lahalte]

Congratulations on the purchase of a wonderful car. When you start the car it is automatically in EV mode until the two bars and the motor starts automatically at that point. If you plan on going on the turnpike or a longer distance press the HV button and that will alternate both systems. Press twice and that will charge the battery to about 60%.It is better to put in HV earlier. I have had mine for five months and I still have 3/4 of a tank from the dealer. You learn how to use the car more effectively.Good luck and enjoy