Hello Clarity owners. I just installed some aluminum panels onto my Honda Clarity to help reduce the risk of catalytic converter theft and improve the aerodynamics. I utilized the original holes with rivets/steel zip ties, or original mounting hardware as applicable. The rear portion covers some unaerodynamic areas, including the fuel tank/muffler. So far I have not gotten any rattles or negative impacts. I'll update in a few weeks with my observed efficiency impacts. I've included a poll so y'all can submit your opinions on it.
Looks nice but unfortunately I would guess anyone stealing catalytic converters on the street is doing it with a cordless angle grinder (unbolting the flanges later) and your aluminum panel will add about 10 seconds to the removal process.
Since my EV miles are usually at low speed, I haven't noticed a big difference. New tires and inflation pressure were much more significant. This modification is minor in either case, but I have observed record breaking fuel economy for my usage since the mod. I have seen people saying online not to expect more than 40 mpg on the highway, but that has not been my experience. Even before the mod, I have gotten at least 40 mpg at 70 mph, and typically at least 50 mpg highway. Recently I averaged around 55-60 mpg at 60 mph. In around town driving, I have averaged 145 MPGe and 65 mpg after the mod. With my battery, this is around 50 miles of ev range.
Have you conducted repeatable tests, with and without the panels, under conditions which are as close to identical as possible? I ask, because you’re all over the map with your claims and you haven’t supplied sufficient data to substantiate those claims. Additionally, there appear to be some miscalculations. While I consider the MPGe number to be nothing more than the result of an energy conversion calculation, I will entertain your calculation. A MPGe of 145 would need to be divided by 33, which is the number of kWh’s in a gallon of gasoline. This produces a result of 4.4 miles per kWh. If we use 13 or 14 as the useable number of kWh’s available from the Clarity PHEV battery then EV range would be 57 and 61 miles, respectively. At 50 miles of range you’re looking at 118-127MPGe, which is easy enough to accomplish when driving slowly in EV. When properly tested, your modifications will prove to have a statistically insignificant impact on energy efficiency.
My vehicle's battery capacity as charged from the wall is 11.5 kWh due to battery degradation (this is the reason why I stated a 50 mile range with my vehicle's battery and not the Clarity in general). 145 MPGe divided by 33.7, the EPA's number, would result in 4.3 miles per kWh. 4.3 × 11.5 = 49.5 miles. Of course, I did not calculate it this way. I measured how many kWh my car consumed after my daily commute and then divided the length of my commute by that value to determine the mi/kWh rating. I did this for 3 commutes, 6 trips total, and averaged the value, then multiplied by 33.7 to get an MPGe rating equivalent to how the EPA rates vehicles. I know e10 has closer to 32.8 kWh per gallon, but the EPA uses 33.7 when they rate electric vehicle efficiencies, so that is the value I use for comparability. It would not be possible for me to provide realistic tests since almost all of my driving is at low speed and aero is most noticeable at high speed. This post is just to detail my subjective experience. Which I also note as being marginal. However, I think it is interesting that you would state confidently that, if we did test the modification, there would be a statistically insignificant impact. Are you not guilty of the exact same assumption you accuse me of?
No. I said that your modifications will have a statistically insignificant impact on energy efficiency. We can only disagree on that until you actually test the modifications for improved energy efficiency. Until then, I’ll stand by my statement and leave it to you to prove it to be inaccurate. You said that you have “observed record breaking fuel economy…since the mod.” Yet you’ve failed to demonstrate that the mod substantiates that claim. And now you’re telling us that it isn’t possible for you to provide realistic tests. I’ll leave it to you to validate your claims.
It is true that I have observed record breaking efficiency since the mod. Whether that is due to the mod or not is anyone's guess. You misunderstand the scientific process. I did not make a positive claim as to the modification's impact, only to my experience with my vehicle. However, you did not make a neutral claim, you made a positive claim on the outcome of a test. A neutral claim would be to state that the affects of the modification cannot be known without testing and any claim to its efficacy is baseless, a claim which you have already made. Again, my goal is not to scientifically prove this improves my mpg, just to share my experience. If I were to state that this is improving my mpg, that hypothesis would be just as valid as yours, as is the unmentioned third hypothesis that it actually hurts the efficiency.
