Question: Can I go from Power mode to Accessory mode?

Not that I'm aware of. I usually just leave my Clarity running if I have a few things to do before exiting the vehicle... besides I need it on to keep the AC blasting.

 

Is there any disadvantage to leaving the Clarity in READY mode? As long as you don't accidentally put it in Drive or Reverse, it's essentially the same as being in Accessory (ON) mode, isn't it? There's actually an advantage to ON mode because keeps your 12-volt battery charged while you listen to the radio.

 

Having a driveway moment? Just leave the car on till the story/song ends.

Because the 12v battery doesn't crank-start the gas engine like a regular car, the beefy HV battery does that, the 12v battery is smaller with less capacity than a regular car. Safe advice=don't use ACC mode for more than a few minutes; best to keep it ON so not only does the 12v keep getting a charge but the HVAC works (if needed) and one can turn the Auto lights to OFF if that is preferred (kills DRL's). I used to do this while waiting for the kids bus returning from school trips.

 

Yes, and this is one of my favorite features of the car. If I turned on my gas car in a parking lot to run AC I'd feel bad, but depending on conditions would do it anyway. With this car, one can completely silently turn on the car, and with no emissions run the climate control (in most all cases).
Also if I'm sitting in passenger seat and can't reach the break pedal, I've learned a double-tap of power button turns on the car without pressing the break.

 

Be aware that "On" mode (two presses of the power button without the brake) will drain the 12V battery, even more so than "Accessory" mode (since fans come on and draw even more power; actual AC and heat probably don't). I actually measured this with a volt meter on the battery terminals -- the only time the 12V battery is being charged is when the car is in "Ready" mode (which requires the brake), or when it's plugged in and charging.

BTW, the battery seems to be the same size/capacity as in my ICE 2007 Civic (and current Civics, and our 2006 and 2015 Highlander Hybrids for that matter), even though it's not used to actually start the engine. That's why you can get away with significant time on Acc/On. Listening to 10 minutes of radio is one thing, but for longer periods (or wanting AC/Heat) taking advantage of the HV battery in Ready mode makes sense.

 

Uggh, thx for the clarification. I was using "ON" for "Ready" in my example; can't edit it now.

 

Having the Clarity 'ON' with the AC blasting is perfect for my Sonic Drive-In stops. I'm not 'that guy' who keeps his clattering diesel running while ordering food.

 

All I can say is wow, and I didn't know double-tap power-on was different than really 'on'

 

Pretty sure I've had a less-luxurious Honda in the past that after turning the car off, left the radio on until a door was opened. I miss that feature.

 

But's that's the problem DRL's are always on in READY mode, even if the headlight switch is set to off, unless someone knows how to turn them off. For that reason if I'm sitting in a parking lot at night listening to the radio and I don't feel like attracting attention I switch to ACC. Unfortunately no heat or AC available. Switching to ON provides fan but also turns on DRL's.

 

Yeah, I just confirmed that today when I tried the "leave on, lock, and walk away" suggestion. I forgot that I draped blankets over those lights when I "camped" overnight in it during a power outage a couple of months ago.

Fuse maybe? But that's a PITA workaround.

 

If you start the car to READY with the parking brake set, the DRLs shouldn't come on while you sit like that. They will come on when you turn off the parking brake, and they won't turn off if you set the brake again unless you shut off/start the car again.

 

I had thought about the parking brake and even tried it but I only tried setting the parking brake after the car was running and that didn't turn the DRL's off. You are right you have to turn the car off with the parking brake set then turn it back on.

You can also set the parking brake in ON mode, so if you forget to set the parking brake before turning the car off, or if you get in your car and want to turn it on without DRL's coming on here is the sequence: car is off, press the power button twice for ON mode, pull the parking brake button to set it then press power button again to turn the car off. Then foot on the brake and press the power button one more time for READY mode.

Wish we could write a macro for that!

When you are ready to drive off no need to release the parking brake it will automatically release when you tap on the accelerator.

 

This is probably what I did unknowingly that night I "camped". I prepped the car about 20 minutes beforehand and may have activated the P-brake because when I got back in for the night I do remember the DRL's being off then but thought that was due to turning the auto-lights to OFF.