Clarity without charging

The tax credit goes to the leasing company, it is up to them to decide how much to pass on to person leasing the car.

Definitely consider it. What speed is your commute? If it is 55mph or less, it would be easy to get upwards of 150 miles a week on EV with 3 charges. If you drive 250 miles a week that is about 2/3rds electric. Save about 4 gallons of gas per week vs driving hybrid only.

Make sure to test drive the car with and without charge to see how it drives.

 

I don't think that's quite right - our collective data around here seems to be 50-58 miles EV at moderate speeds and traffic, so you wouldn't be able to do 3 days EV - maybe 1 and a little more.

 

If you are buying (rather than leasing) then the credit phase out is based on the number of eligible vehicles sold by a particular manufacturer -- and Honda is nowhere close to that number. So you should be good to go on that part of the credit for a couple years, at least.

It's possible that Congress will change the law to eliminate the tax credit sooner. They tried to do that last year as part of the budget deal, but it was defeated in the Senate. There is nothing on the agenda right now that would cause that to happen, but with the current political situation, you never know.

If you are leasing, rather than buying, then it's up to the leasing company how much (if any) of the credit to pass on to the lessee. That could change at any time.

Does that all make sense?

One thing to keep in mind is that the credit is just that: a tax credit, not a rebate. It's non-refundable, meaning that a) you will need to wait until you file your taxes before you can claim the credit, and b) you must have a tax liability of at least $7,500 to get the full benefit. Note that that's your total tax liability, not how much you send to the government on Tax Day. That is, if you have taxes taken out of your payroll, you might be seeing that money come back when you file.

 

The 2019 Insight began production at Honda Manufacturing Indiana (HMIN) last week and will be available within a month. Unfortunately, Honda makes hatchback Civics only in the UK, so that's why the US-manufactured Insight (a modified Civic) got stuck with a trunk. But look, isn't it a handsome ride?

 

Does anyone have any idea whether the Clarity has the hardware to implement Traffic Sign Recognition (TSR) that appears to be standard on the Insight? Any chance it may be implemented with a software update?

 

There are mutiple insentives regadring the PHEV.
1. $7500 credit
2. $1000-$2000 STATE REBATE.
3. $500- $1000 FROM LOCAL UITILITY REBEAT.
4. HOV sticker

All of these can be removed within one or two yesrs based on how good the sell of PECV and EV.

 

It depends on your state and utility - in North Carolina only the Federal credit is available.

geo

 

Correct. In Duluth, Minnesota ONLY the Federal credit is available.

 

The only time that I depleted my battery as much as I could, I got precisely the same charge time as you did 2:05, using my Siemens Versicharge Level 2 charger.

I don't consider the purchase of the Versicharge to be a waste. I really appreciate it, especially if I deplete the battery somewhat, and am able to restore full battery between trips. I don't miss the incredibly slow 120V, level operation a bit.

 

I don't understand why people are looking at the Insight as an alternative to the Clarity, it's much smaller.
The Clarity is about the same size as an Accord.
The Insight is about the same size as a Civic.

In my eyes these are two different categories.
If you are ok with a smaller car it's worth looking into the Chevy Volt as well if you have a place to charge.

 

Amps are "pulled" from an available source, not "pushed" to it. The Clarity wants about 30 amps, and that's what it will take from a 40, 50, or million amp source of electricity.

That said, for a new installation it's probably wise to get a 50 amp outlet (NEMA 14-50) if your home has that capacity. The Clarity won't use all of it, but who knows what's next?

 

If you can plug in, then the Clarity's the best PHEV option. If you can't plug in, the Insight is the most efficient option in the Honda stable. If you can't plug in and need a Clarity-sized car, the Accord Hybrid is the best option.

In many forums, people whine that the Insight and Accord aren't plug-in hybrids like the Clarity. If those people had ever seen the size of the Clarity's battery, they'd know why.

 

The other thing you can do is look into nearby charging places. Since it can charge in about 2 hours, some of those places might be feasible a couple times a month.

 

The most important factor is not if you can charge or not. It is the price.
As I posted, if you buy Accord hybrid touring, thr best price with cash is about $30k. The Carity touring you can easily pay at $27k after the $10k insentivrs. in addition, if you live in bay area you can get ev-a plan for electricity. Which is $.12 per kw.otherwise, you have to pay at least $.22.

 

Today i saw 4 clarity on the we home. one is ev, two phev and one fcv.

 

Right, it is not about the 200,000 units but whether they will yank the tax credit before the end of the year. I guess it can be done but what if you already bought it while the credit was in effect? I assume it will be honored based on purchase date.

 

The odds of Congress getting its act together to pass any sort of tax bill that affects 2018 mid-year are pretty slim. But even if they do, they can't increase your taxes retroactively (it'd be considered an ex post facto law, which is unconstitutional): if the tax credit still exists the day you buy a BEV/PHEV, you're entitled to receive it if you are meet the qualifications.

 

I think the idea is to get the battery pack and hybird for free!

Yes, after all the rebates, you could get a base model for ~$20k in California, that's cheaper than a base model Accord, no need to mention the hybrid Accord.

 

Sides, did you end up passing on Clarity. If you purchased it I'd like to hear how your commute is working out in hybrid mode