Can small Clarity battery last long if driving EV mode all the time?

You really don’t understand this car.

I don’t assume he drove 35 miles, you do.

He said he got home after a long drive with 11 miles of EV range remaining. He may have driven 200 miles and used some of the EV range along the way. It has been mentioned many times that some Clarity PHEV owners attempt to arrive at home with very little EV range. We still have gas in the tank so we won’t be stranded by having no EV range.

Your suggesting that a BEV could never arrive at a destination with 11 miles is another incorrect assumption.

 

Once again, what does my choice of vehicle have to do with it?
It's always a bit odd when someone is closed minded and overly defensive about their choice of vehicle and adamantly asserts that no other choice would work for anyone. I have never said that a PHEV is never the right choice, but you seem to think that a BEV is always a poor decision. Insecurity perhaps?

I have assumed nothing of the sort. It is indeed very likely that an BEV driver would start with a full charge, but some with longer range BEVs, may not - they could leave with only 300 miles of range as an example.
We are talking about a specific incident where it is fairly safe to assume the OP left with a full charge, but returned home with only 11 miles of range left. If he left with a full charge in any currently marketed BEV, he would have had plenty of range for that additional 14 miles. His assertion that a BEV would have made the trip impossible is flawed by the assumption that a BEV would have the same range limitation as the electric range of the Clarity PHEV.

BEVs have their strengths and weaknesses (as do PHEVs), but driving 60 miles in a day is not a stretch under almost any conditions.

 

Read the manual buddy.

I don’t claim that I can charge the battery while driving. It’s a fact. It will charge the battery up to ~60% SOC. That‘s good for about 30 miles.

I don’t do it much because it is less costly for me to charge the battery with electricity than with gas. A number of owners charge almost exclusively using HV Charge because gas is cheap and electricity is high.

 

You are really not following along here.

I quoted the OP, not you, when I commented on his poor choice. Did you actually read the post?

He seems hellbent in his belief that a BEV would have been a better choice for him. Maybe it would. But it seems he didn’t really dig into the details or consider his needs before he bought a PHEV.

I don’t care what he drives or what you drive. A BEV does not suit my needs. That’s why I bought a PHEV.

I’m very secure in that decision as well as my other important life decisions. You may want to work on honing your Internet personality evaluation skills.

You’ve also misinterpreted my comments as somehow being a defense of my decision. You couldn’t be more wrong.

 

He did not say that he had a full tank, only that he was able to drive the 25 miles using the gas engine.

I don’t know how far he drove prior to arriving at home with 11 miles of EV range. I would not assume that he had just driven 35-40 miles in EV. There are any number of possibilities.

You seem fixated on the 50 mile EV range. Were you unaware of this when you decide to purchase the car?

 

How is it not a valid scenario?

Do you believe it is not possible for a BEV owner to ever arrive at a destination with 10, 20 or 30 miles of range?

Is it not possible that an emergency could arise and they might need to drive home, perhaps a distance that exceeds their range, before they had an opportunity to charge the battery?

Is it not possible that they could arrive at a destination, expecting to be able to charge, and there is a power outage?

We can’t dismiss something as invalid simply because we don’t believe it could happen. I mentioned previously that a number of coworkers regularly show up on Monday with as little range as possible on their BEV’s. The plan is to charge up at no cost, drive all week and charge up again on Friday. If there’s a fly in the ointment their plan will melt like an ice cream cone on the 4th of July. It isn’t likely, but it is possible.

 

I will, thanks.

Perhaps after the restful holiday, you and Duc might entertain the idea of answering some of the questions I’ve asked, so as to explain your positions.

I’ll understand if you don’t want to talk about it.

 

I read your words, the first time and the second time. There’s no need to repeat them.

If you’d like to end the discussion, just say so. I prefer being direct, and my feelings won’t be hurt if the conversation continues or ends.

 

This is an update to my 2020 post. I now have over 50 thousand miles. My Clarity has less efficient Pirelli tires. I still can get 47 miles in gentle driving. This indicates about 80% of the original battery capacity, maybe a bit more. I'm planning on ordering a 2023 Ford Mach-e and trading in or selling my Clarity. I expect that considering the $4,000 used car tax credit for a buyer, I should get a good trade in value.

 

I want to ask the opposite question versus what many have asked. Say you check the battery at 90k miles and you are within 5% of the Honda replacement criteria. What can you do to degrade the battery in the remaining miles so you qualify for a free replacement on the warranty? I would guess:

1. Drive electric as much as possible.
2. Charge as fast as possible
3. Don't charge the battery until the gas engine comes on.

Anything else?

 

Knowing a buyer cannot obtain the $4K tax credit if they buy your Clarity from you, a dealer may not be as generous as they might have before August 16th. Dealers now have the upper hand and are no longer competing with private sellers.

 

A dealer, knowing that a buyer can obtain a $4k tax credit on a used Clarity, will expect to be able to sell the used Clarity for a higher price than a similar non-PHEV. This makes the Clarity more valuable in trade to the dealer. We shall see, but I think that used EV and qualified PHEVs will have a higher trade-in value. I think the intent of the Inflation Reduction Act in this area is to encourage people who own an older EV or qualified PHEV to trade them in. Thus producing an availability of used green vehicles.

I don't think it is possible to artificially degrade the battery. The car itself limits charging to level two. Lithium Ion batteries don't like high temperatures or to have zero charge. If the car were stored for several months in a hot location with the high voltage battery depleted, then maybe the battery would age more rapidly without miles being driven.

 

The dealer has no way of knowing if the eventual buyer will qualify for the credit (the income caps are lower than for new vehicles), and since everything seems to already be priced over the $25K cap, there is likely no increase in value to a dealer.
Also worth noting that since the Mach-e will probably not qualify for the $7,500 credit next year, the net price on that will probably match (or exceed) what dealers are getting with the ADM. Once the Secretary of the Treasury issues guidance on the battery mineral and component restrictions, it is unlikely that any manufacturer will be able to provide the required documentation to qualify.

 

SK Innovation, a South Korean company, will provide Ford with batteries from its Georgia plants. The first 9.8 GWh plant is producing batteries this year. The second 11.7 GWh plant is scheduled to begin production next year. https://insideevs.com/news/419036/sk-innovation-2nd-battery-gigafactory-georgia/ May 20, 2021: "Ford and the battery supplier SK Innovation on Thursday announced a joint venture, called BlueOvalSK, that will manufacture battery cells and arrays in the U.S. for future electric vehicles." https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1132323_ford-ski-battery-joint-venture-american-evs-solid-state