[Sweepy]

This may sound like a stupid question

We just bought our clarity

For electric only what do we do.

And how can we charge while driving.

Thanks

 

[firsthonda]

There is no such thing as a stupid question, but there are people too stupid to ask a question.

Your dealer should have explained to you that all you need to do is plug in the car (a totally drained battery will take about 10 hours @120 volts and about 2 1/2 to 3 hours @ 240 volts (I could be off on the time, I use a 240 volt level 2 charger and it seems to take a little more than 2 hours but it is rare for me to go below 25% charge)

Some of the following goes against factory recondimations

I just leave the button set to EV. The car will run on battery power until the battery goes down to 2 bars (the computer holds two bars in reserve in case you need extra help to climb a mountain, don't forget the Clarity ICE is smaller than some motorcycle engines so that is why always holds some battery in reserves case you need help getting up a mountain ) Contrary to what some people have written on the forum if you leave the car in EV mode the computer will automatically run the gas engine so there is no need to run the engine (ICE) yourself (it is referred to ICE for internal combustion engine) It does this automatically to make sure the oil keeps the engine lubricated.

You can charge the engine while driving (up to 78%)but in my opinion it is inefficient to use the ICE to charge the battery. If you insist on doing it all you have to do is press and hold the HV button.

Since I usually get 58 tp 62 miles on a charge and I normally do not go further than 40 miles I never use gas

I have over 2,000 on my car and I thought the gas gauge may not be working because it has not moved since I got the car. I pulled into a gas station for a fill up and to check the gauge was working. it was only ably to take 0.4 gallons which meant to me the gauge was fine and the 0.4 of a gallon that was used was to keep the ICE lubricated. To sum it up leave it set to EV and forget about it the computer will handle everything.

I hope I explained this in a easy to understand manner and you understood my explanation.

 

[Claire Greene]

This may sound like a stupid question

We just bought our clarity

For electric only what do we do.

And how can we charge while driving.

Thanks

If your trip is less than 47 miles you don't have to do anything just get in and drive. But if longer than the EV range and specially if going on the freeway, use HV mode until your driving situation goes back to city driving then use EV mode again. A good rule of thumb to follow is EV mode for city driving and HV mode for freeway driving. Or you can also just let the computer sort it out for you by not pressing any button and drive in EV mode, it will not harm the car.

 

[makessense]

I'm not sure I can get a full recharge in 10 hours on 120v. I'm thinking more like 12 but I haven't timed it exactly, We've only had it 6 weeks. Most of our "road trips' are about an hour of highway driving. I haven't tried HV, but in HV charge it was showing 28mpg and I wouls expect to get the max charge from it in about an hour. I'll try to leave it alone next time and drive in normal mode. But I love the quiet, smooth power in electric mode so I find myself trying to save the charge. I also find myself thing I should drive the thing for awhile to establish a baseline before I start messing with the buttons, except for sport mode. I only tried it for a moment once, and I can't wait to try for more than a milk run.:grin:

 

[Cruiter]

If you plan to go on a trip in excess of say 15-20 miles each way whether or not you're using the HWY, it's probably better to use the HV mode. It will try to maintain the charge level you have at the time you select HV. You'll find the engine will cut on and off as a regular Hybrid vehicle would. If you hold the HV button down (HV charge) and your charge level is below 60%, it will also work to bring the charge up to about 60% but will not fully charge it. You have to plug it in for that.

I'm not sure I can get a full recharge in 10 hours on 120v. I'm thinking more like 12 but I haven't timed it exactly, We've only had it 6 weeks. Most of our "road trips' are about an hour of highway driving. I haven't tried HV, but in HV charge it was showing 28mpg and I wouls expect to get the max charge from it in about an hour. I'll try to leave it alone next time and drive in normal mode. But I love the quiet, smooth power in electric mode so I find myself trying to save the charge. I also find myself thing I should drive the thing for awhile to establish a baseline before I start messing with the buttons, except for sport mode. I only tried it for a moment once, and I can't wait to try for more than a milk run.:grin:

 

[longfam18]

If you hold the HV button down (HV charge) and your charge level is below 60%, it will also work to bring the charge up to about 60% but will not fully charge it. You have to plug it in for that.

I can't figure out when to use HV Charge. Have you seen any gains in efficiency by using HV Charge to sacrifice gas mileage in order to drive around on EV at a later time? I haven't done enough testing, but so far it seems like losing MPG to gain a little electric later in my drive is a net loss. I would love to be wrong about this, though!

 

[Cruiter]

As simple and easy as I know how to explain it

EV: Electric only, good for short trips around town within the range of your battery charge
HV: Regular hybrid vehicle mode, in general the gas engine will start and stop as needed to try and maintain the charge level you started with. Sometimes it will start in order to charge the 12v battery
HV/Charge: Mostly useful when on a trip. If your battery gauge is low, HV/Charge can restore up to about 60% of battery capacity. Will not restore 100% that way. May use slightly more gas than HV mode as gas engine may run longer/faster to operate generator
Sport: Use only when your EGO is low. May or may not restore that. I never use it, idea of car is to use less gas, not more :surprise:

I can't figure out when to use HV Charge. Have you seen any gains in efficiency by using HV Charge to sacrifice gas mileage in order to drive around on EV at a later time? I haven't done enough testing, but so far it seems like losing MPG to gain a little electric later in my drive is a net loss. I would love to be wrong about this, though!

 

[spireland]

Sport: Use only when your EGO is low. May or may not restore that. I never use it, idea of car is to use less gas, not more :surprise:

Ah, yes, cause enjoying going fast means you must have EGO problems.

Really?