HV Range unexpected precipitous drop! :(

Wild speculation: Could this problem be the reason for the second HV Range Service Bulletin?

 

Hmmm... Just noticed insightman is not capitalized. I think this means your avatar must refer to your acumen and not your previous Honda’s. If that’s the case, it is a very apt monicker. Good WAG on your part.

In Nov, I’m having all updates installed and then we’ll see. But since it’s only done it once in 7 months we’ll have to wait a long time to see it any of the new updates fix it. The hour meter is proving to be very handy since my engine is so quiet (just 11 hr over7 1/2 months and 6,000 miles). Time will tell.

 

Calling myself Insightman would be too pretentious, but it is related to the number of Insights we have owned (we own 2 now). I received the first Insight in the midwest in 2000 (Honda drove it from California in an enclosed truck just large enough for one car), the last gen-1 Insight in Michigan in 2006, and the first gen-2 Insight my dealer delivered in 2010. However, I like my wife's Clarity PHEV so much, I just can't bring myself to pull the trigger on the gen-3 Insight. For just a few dollars more, why not get another Clarity?

What I really want now, is for Honda to bring the Urban EV to North America. I've been writing letters.

I've admired your initiative to install an engine-hours meter in your Clarity, but it's so inconvenient to access. Even though Honda's done everything possible to make the Clarity's ICE as quiet as possible, I would like the option of hearing it when it decides to start up. The silent engine icon lighting up on the dash isn't enough for me.

Here's an idea: A small speaker-equipped computer that plugs into the OBDII port. If un-muted, the computer will issue the sound of a Honda Formula 1 engine revving when the signal reporting the RPM of the Clarity's ICE moves off zero. The computer could log engine hours, and perhaps engine miles, too, all without having to lift the hood.

 

What V8Power says is very similar to my experience. I have been inexplicably dropping a few HV range miles and just kept watching the gauges. Other than cooler temps, no change in driving patterns or habits although can't confirm heat has come on or not. Seems to me this occurs at random times and, so far, it seems to occur with less than 80% charge left.

I assumed the same as V8Power that it is functioning as designed.

 

Whenever I drop a few HV miles in my all EV local driving, it is always due to the ICE coming in for just a few minutes. Many times I don’t even hear or notice the ICE is on because it’s so quiet and only runs for a short time. I then notice the HV range has dropped by a mile or two and check the hour meter and see the ICE has run. I suspect that there are a significant number of owners who don’t notice every time their ICE has a brief operation at idle like rpms.

What the three of us are describing is different. This is an instantaneous drop of almost 30 miles of HV range without any obvious precipitating event.

 

My HV range hasn't dropped again like last time but I haven't put any gas in since then either. I'm curious if it has anything to do with the computer still trying to estimate the HV range based on so little ICE usage?


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That has been my assumption. It is really the only thing that makes sense unless it is a software glitch. My ICE doesn't kick on when this happens. For the record, I do not have the patch installed either.

 

After my last fillup, 12 days ago, my HV range showed at 370 miles, and I'm pretty confident that the ICE hasn't turned on since. All of my driving since then has been in Econ.

I've been trying to keep a close eye on the EV and HV while driving, and I never noticed it stepping slowly down at all. It just stayed at that level until a couple of days ago, when it seemed to have dropped suddenly down to 357, and today, it dropped again to 340. I don't know what kind of magic Honda is doing in the background, but the 340 is a more realistic estimate for a full tank anyway, so I'm not too worked up about it.

 

I am seeing this on my car now. Your scenario is EXACTLY what I’ve encountered. I know this is from 2.5 years ago, but it’s something that I experienced today. Do you have any updates regarding this situation on your car?

 

I don't recall any more similar surprises after those events. The HV estimate seems to be reasonably accurate and consistent since then, although I haven't tried to run the tank dry to test its accuracy.

 

This sounds exactly like my situation. Thank you for sharing.