This is our first winter with a 2018 Clarity Touring model in WI and we have found it takes longer to heat the interior than other vehicles we have owned. We often had to turn the temperature up to 80+ and it still seemed to take too long to warm the car. We finally used trial and error experimentation to find the most efficient way to heat the interior. With outside temperatures ranging from 3 to 30 degrees and the car parked in an unheated attached garage, here is the formula that gives us the most efficient heating so far this winter: 1. Precondition the vehicle. This is the most important factor in the list. 15 minutes is more than enough. 2. Set temperature to your personal preference. For us it starts at 70 degrees and we often reduce it after 15 minutes. 3. Turn off the green lit “auto” setting in the driver side temperature control button. 4. Set vent mode to defrost/floor. 5. Select button for “fresh air” setting. Using the “recirculation” option increases window fogging. 6. Set fan speed to your personal preference. For us, it is the second lowest setting but a higher speed might be needed if there are passengers in the back seat. Preferential fan speed is also affected by where you the direct air flow from your air vents. 7. Use front and rear window defrosters as needed. This need will vary with the number of passengers humidifying the air with respiration, whether anyone has wet hair from showering (a major factor in window fogging), and the temperature/dryness of outside weather conditions. Most days we’ve only needed defogging briefly if at all. 8. So far we have not felt the need to use the seat heaters, but that could change with subzero temperatures. Given this formula, you might ask how it affects the EV mileage estimate. So far this winter we typically start with about 32 EV miles after Level 2 charging. Using the trip odometer for our usual daily driving circuit of 40-50 miles, our actual obtained EV miles have ranged a lot. The worst we did was lose 4-5 miles, but we often gained 1-2 miles. As is often reported in this forum, EV miles obtained will vary with mph, road conditions, weather conditions, feathering acceleration and other idiosyncratic factors among drivers.
Great tips! As the winter gets colder, the fully charged range will decrease. Mine got down to 22 miles of range when the subzero temps of January hit last winter. It is not a crime to run in HV mode and you'll still get 35-40 MPG that way when needed.
Wow, what an ordeal for your northern folks. We are still baking here in So Calif at 95 degrees so it's A/C time...
Heated seat use is the biggest bargain if you find it to your liking. If you can be as comfortable with the climate control set 5 degrees cooler and heated seats on it will definitely pay off.
It's interesting how each person's experience is different. For our cold Winter mornings, in the twenties and thirties, we use the preconditioning, followed by the seat heaters. We rarely use the cabin heater due to its high power drain. When I have used the cabin heater I'm surprised at how quickly it begins to warm the cabin.
I'm also from Wisconsin. So far I've found the cabin heater to work much faster and better than my previous car, a 2014 Mazda CX-5. We've set the temperature no higher than 68 degrees and it has been quite comfortable. The heated sets are really nice to have. I'm still trying to figure out the climate system.
Is already -20°C here in QC some days. I always precondition the car 20 min before i leave. When i i get in the car is as warm as in my house and surprisingly when is really cold it also put 1 level of heat on the driver seat.
Coldest morning so far this fall in Oklahoma has been 15F. Preconditioning worked great. I had it plugged in using the Honda evse at 240volts. I could already feel warmth coming from the heater vents after only a few blocks after leaving my garage.
An ordeal I embrace. Four seasons make one ready for each in succession. We're just now seeing our front lawn after a week of solid snow cover. A trip to the cider mill would be pretty awful at 95 degrees.
My experience also. I have noticed that when I precondition and immediately start down a significant hill the engine comes on and stays on for about 5 min. Uses very little HV range.
A trip to the orange groves would be pretty awful with snow on the ground . My mandarins, lemons, and grapefruit are getting ripe. Winter is citrus season in Southern California.
It’s interesting to me how variable the experiences are with the speed of cabin heat. For me, even here in Michigan, I don’t feel a need to pre-condition in the winter because the seat heaters and cabin heat come on so quickly. We just left a Michigan State b-ball game and had to sit in our car in a 28F parking garage for long time while thousands of rabid basketball fans drove like maniacs trying to get out of the traffic jams. It was a quiet and comfortable wait. The car and seats warmed up fast and quietly and we greatly appreciated not having to get an ICE warm to get heat.
Canadian (Ottawa) checking in. I've found the heat to be swift and plentiful, so even at -30C it doesn't take long to warm the cabin. Is it possible the Canadian models get a different heating system? I know we get a battery heater instead of power seats, maybe there are other subtle differences? On my 1999 Honda Odyssey, Canadian models got heated exterior mirrors and a much larger windshield washer reservoir, so Honda does accommodate the climate differences.
I'd love that year round nice weather, but I'd rather have cheap gas ($2.05/gal), dependable power grid at .11 per kWh, and low taxes.
What happens at a cider mill if you don't mind me asking.... Is cold temperature needed for apples to bear fruit or pick ?
You get a heat pump in Canada. We get just the PTC heater. But at -30, the heat pump wont do squat, so you must also have the PTC as a sort of backup. Sent from my SM-G930V using Inside EVs mobile app
As interpreted by Detroit suburbanites it's an excuse to get out, look at the foliage, buy and eat some fresh donuts, buy and drink some freshly squeezed cider and maybe feed some ducks if there's a stream nearby. Some places have u-pick opportunities. Most regions harvest apples in the autumn. I don't think it's particularly temperature sensitive. I prefer to visit cider mills in cool, overcast conditions to avoid the crowds.
My experience from last Winter is that if the temperature is lower than about 10°F that the ICE will start when you start the car. I think that this is because at those temperatures, between the reduced efficiency of the battery and the increased need for cabin heat, it makes much more sense to heat the cabin using waste heat from the ICE. I have been satisfied with the heat output. It can take a hunk out of EV range but I did not buy this car to be uncomfortable. I am still trying to train myself to plan far enough ahead to turn on preconditioning before I leave but I find it very nice to go out to a warm car, and it does make a difference in EV range.
What is your source for the Canadian model having a heat pump? AFAIK, both models are the same in this regard as in both have an electrically powered AC compressor and a resistance heater in a coolant loop to the heater core. However, I am open to be proven wrong if you have a Honda document or link on this.
From all the literature I've read, I'm pretty confident that no Clarity PHEV gets a heat pump. The other two models do, but because the PHEV has a cooling system for the ICE, we just get a resistive heating element in the cooling loop. I posted a link to an article about this the other day, but don't have it handy.