Brake Hold Uses Brake Lights

Good! Thanks for confirming. Would suck to get rear ended because they can't tell.

 

Thats awesome! Does anyone know if the paddle regen brakes trigger the brake lights as well?

 

Actually, I don’t know for sure, but the logic is not the same. ICE cars with manual transmissions and drivers that downshift without brake lights can decelerate at least as quickly as Clarity drivers using regen paddles.

 

I am pretty sure the paddles do not activate the brake lights. Last night, I saw the brake lights reflected when I pressed the pedal, but not the paddle.

 

I have observed this also. Regen paddle do not activate brake light.

 

The diving front ends of cars behind me when I use the paddles is my indication that the brake lights are not coming on when using the paddles exclusively.

 

Honda sense auto braking feature while using ACC does trigger the brake lights - seen it many times on the freeway when the system automatically brakes.

 

I think of Brake Hold as the car keeping pressure on the brake pedal in lieu of my needing to. Regardless of the actual mechanics involved.

Hence, it’s logical that the brake lights stay on. I’d be shocked if that were not the case.

 

Yesterday I experimented with the brake hold feature on a few inclines. It held in all cases, nothing extremely steep.

One characteristic I noticed is that if the car rolls to a stop going uphill the brake hold feature will not hold the car if the brakes are not applied. It will roll backwards. This makes total sense.

I’ve never had a car with this feature and it could be possible to get comfortable with this feature and assume the car will hold it’s position once stopped. It would also be possible to jump in another vehicle that is not similarly equipped and have a boo boo.

 

I have tried the Brake Hold on a steep hill and it held just as it does on level ground. I am 100% confident in using it and consider it one of the better features on the Clarity.
Just wish I didn’t have to remember to engage it every. single. time. I get in the car. Come on Honda, you could have made it and Lane Keeping Assist menu selectable to engage at start up or not.

 

Of course, HV should be on that list of desired optional sticky features, too. I'd put it at the top of the list.

 

I would like that too for trips until you patent your nice HV button sticker.
It may not be possible because I think (not sure) that when the EPA tests, it’s not allowed to enter any special mode just for the test. It has to be the default mode.
Kind of like my new Energy Star dryer’s normal mode that is so energy saving that it takes forever to dry clothes and requires me to set other modes to dry in less than 2 hours. Not really sure how much it’s saving if it sucks in outside air that has to be heated/cooled for over an extra hour.

 

I'm not sure the EPA can mandate that the driver is not allowed to change the default startup from what the tests were done on. But even if that is a requirement I would think that could be solved by having it always default to EV after charging regardless if the car was in HV previously. Assuming that the EPA tests always begin with a fully charged car.

That's how I think Honda would implement it anyway if they did make HV "sticky" because I would think most people would want it to switch back to EV after charging. In a few less common situations someone may want it to remain in HV even after charging, but they would be the exception and they just have to remember to press the HV button like they already have to. But it would solve the problem when stopping between charges of having it switch back to EV.

 

The word "reflash" may be appropriate here. Usually, people reflash the PROMs in their ECUs for more performance, but my Clarity is fast enough for me. Now that the EPA has had their way with the car, why should I have to tape a paper reminder over the D button to remind me to push HV after stopping on a long trip? Unfortunately, the tiny number of Clarity PHEVs and the much tinier number of people who would pay to make HV sticky means it's not gonna happen.

 

"Brad on cars" made the test for us on youtube to see if the brake lights comes on when slowing down with paddles only. And they don't.

Here's the link for the video. He made a bunch of videos with is Clarity!

 

I think we miss communicated. It’s not that the driver can’t change the default that was used in the EPA test, it’s that the EPA test has to begin with the car’s default setting. Unfortunately, Honda did not give us the option of changing a lot of the default settings. Like being able to choose if we start

 

Sorry I know I wasn't clear, I was abbreviating. I was trying to say I don't think the EPA can effectively mandate (intentional or not) via the design of their tests that a car can only have one starting mode, unchangeable by the driver. I.e. if the automaker allowed the driver to control whether the car starts in EV mode or HV mode, the EPA might choose to start a particular test run in HV mode when that would be less advantageous for the manufacturer in terms of rating. Thus effectively forcing the automaker to allow only EV as the startup mode.

A complicated thought to be sure, which is why I was saying I don't think it works that way

I should circle back to what I should have asked instead - what type of test scenario do you think might be negatively affected by having sticky HV mode? The way I think of the tests is they run separate tests for EV mode and HV mode. They start full charge and drive only in EV mode and measure miles driven vs. kWh used. Then repeat the EV test for different driving conditions, recharging to full prior to each test. Then for the HV test they start with depleted EV range (but full gas tank) and then measure miles driven vs. gallons of gasoline used. Repeated for different conditions, refilling the tank between tests. Sort of like the same tests we would do ourselves (if we feel ambitious) except more controlled and with more precise methods for measuring fuel and electric consumption.

If that's how the tests are done then HV stickiness wouldn't come into play because the tester is never pressing the HV button.

 

I read through this and I am a little confused. I just want to confirm that everyone's vehicle starts in EV mode by default. Mine definitely starts EV by default. I think of it simply as they could assume that we are leaving from home on surface streets where EV would be more efficient and then giving us the option to switch to HV upon reaching higher speed conditions with less stop and go. This may have been explained before but I wasn't catching it.