Canadian Clarity Eh!

I agree with you... it is not common, but could happens once in a while in northern climate. My best assumption is when it is plugged in, no problem; if it is not plugged in, indeed the gas engine would start and we would need to wait for the battery to warm up to move the car. So for these exceptional circumstances, not too bad... I have specifically asked the question to my dealer as the user manual is unclear on this, rather know this before hand! They said they will ask their technical advisor specialized on the Clarity to find the answer. When I get the answer I will post it on this forum,.


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The battery has to be cold soaked for it not to start. I don't think you have to worry about overnight at -30 C, but probably have to worry about several days without plugging in or driving. If the battery gets below that temperature it is unable to start because it is frozen, only way to fix it is let it warm up by plugging in or the weather warming up.

One thing you will notice is that when the battery gets cold, the vehicle runs like a normal hybrid for the most part, barely using the battery. The battery is unable to provide much power at low temperatures without permanent damage so it runs off power produced by the genset.

Anyone in Canada run much in the cold with the battery heater? What temps does the engine start at?

My US model tends to start the engine only when the battery is cold and the ambient temperature is low (somewhere below 10 F/-12C). I am curious if you can drive on battery lower temperatures if it is heated. On the days it was -30 C with a high of -17 C it ran like a gas car most of the time.

 

Given the Canadian touring doesn't have power seats, has anyone managed to get a Touring and haggled the price closer to the Base?

$3000 seems high for leather seats and navigation that's not needed sine Android Auto is in the car.


Also, am I correct in seeing there's no CD player?

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Correct, no CD player in my US Touring (I don't see it in any models, not sure where they would put it).

 

It's actually $4000 difference between the base and touring trim ($39,900 & $43,900). I highly doubt anyone will be able to get a good price on either trim as the supply is limited so they don't really have to worry about the car sitting on their lot for a long period of time especially in Ontario, Quebec and may be BC. Most of the people who post their discount is about $300-$700 off MSRP.

There is no CD player so I can't use my current CD slot phone mount.

BTW when you are using Android Auto or CarPlay for navigation, if you need to switch radio station or want to take a look at the energy info screen, does it disconnect from AA/CP or does it do split screen like the Ioniq or other EV car I have seen so you can still have a smaller navigation screen and see the other information as well (does my question make sense)?

 

I'm pretty sure it doesn't do a split screen for anything but I don't think it kicks you out of AA or CP, either. It probably just runs in the background so it is still there when you switch back.

 

Isn't the battery heater also on the Base in Canada?

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Ontario $14,000 EVIP is now the EHVIP (soo Canadian sounding) Electric and Hydrogen Vehicle Incentive Program and PHEVs like the Clarity and Volt only get $13,000 rebate.

This is very strange since I don't know of any Hydrogen Vehicles for sale in Ontario. I thought they (like the Clarity Hydrogen Fuel cell and Toyota Mirai) were only available for lease in Cali and Oregon.

For those that purchased before today (March 9), you still get the old EVIP $14,000 rebate)

NEW EHVIP: http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/vehicles/electric/electric-vehicle-rebate.shtml
OLD EVIP: http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/vehicles/electric/previous-evip-rebate.shtml

 

Found this detail about not being able to drive the car in -30C temps in the user manual.

Glad it allows you to start the car with the gas engine to warm it up including the Lithium ion battery, then will allow you to drive as opposed to leaving you to freeze to death. Whew!

 

6. I believe the manual says the Canadian rear seat cup holders don't have the folding cover found in US models.

 

I am wandering the difference of power and altering system...

 

An important thing to point out here is the battery temperature of -30C, it takes a long time for the battery to reach such low temps. Overnight probably won't be enough unless it is much colder than -30C and the car is parked outside.

 

I have a 2018 Clarity and this is my first full winter with the car. I leave the car outside, but I do have a Level 2 plug outside and I leave it plugged in at all times. In cold temperatures there is an intermittent trickle of electricity to the battery, I'm assuming to keep it warm.

Drove at Highway speeds last week with an outdoor temp of -15 C and the fuel mileage was around 7.4 l/100 km. Engine working both in HV and out of HV mode.

Not sure the exact temperature that the engine automatically starts to provide heat, but it looks to be around -10 C. You do see a clear change in efficiency that seems to start around 10 C and then every 10 C drop just decreases the efficiency further. This lines up with Le Chatelier's principal about chemical reactions. I am curious about the super cold weather performance, today it is -23 C outside.

The car was just at the dealership for it's second oil change (23,000 km) and they did the recalls. One was to address the inaccuracy of the HV range indicator, this appears to be fixed.

Regarding the use of AA /ACP for Navigation, I use "Waze" to navigate and it runs in the background. To change audio stuff I use the steering wheel controls so I don't lose the Nav screen. A second screen or split screen would be nice, but it's pretty easy to work around.

Overall I'm very happy with the car. I drive 35-40,000 km per year (sales person). Summertime running 2.8 L/100 km, winter is significantly worse; but overall it is a fuel sipping, comfortable 5 seater.

 

The ICE engine will start if it around -10 C and below, and pre heating was not used so the battery is not exhausted by the cabin heater.
For the same reason if it is below -10 outside and you put the heater at 19 C or above the ICE may start.

So what I do is as much as possible Pre hear the car at keep the heater at 18 (which is fine combined with the seat heater) and it stays on EV with decent range.

When it is very cold outside and the car is parked and plugged, indeed the battery heater will turn on and off to keep the battery performance. This is why as much as possible when temperatures are below -5 the car should be plugged at all time even if the battery is fully charged.

 

On page 109 of the Owners Manual, it says you'll see this warning at -30 C. At -23 C, you're not far above that dismal temperature.



Fortunately your Canadian Clarity includes a way to warm its battery. In the US the only way to warm the battery before setting out on a cold morning is to park it with a partial charge and then schedule charging to complete just before you plan to drive it. The Owners Manual says -22 F is the go/no-go threshold for US Clarity PHEVs.