In ECO drive mode you can push the accelerator pedal down all the way to the point of first resistance (ICE ENGINE ENGAGE POINT) and you will get maximum battery only acceleration. The power/speedo bar will go all the way to the very tip of the blue bar but will NOT kick on the ICE. With practice I am now a pro and use this 100% of the time. This has really taken my clarity driving experience to the next level. Just thought I would share.
You will go through some tires and get some speeding tickets going full throttle everywhere. What sort of range are you getting? Did you buy the extended warranty? I imagine a roughly 10C discharge that often is hard on it. I frequently accelerate in that fashion, but can't leave it pegged 100% of the time as I've alreqdy gotten 1 warning for such action by an officer. I am still getting around the rated EPA range, and more like 60 miles when easy on it. Sent from my SM-G965U using Inside EVs mobile app
I like the ECON mode... it kinda takes care of my lead foot driving style by slowly ramping up the acceleration. I don't floor the accelerator, and never really pushed things to where the engine comes on. To me, I get enough acceleration by taking the "digital needle" to the 50% point.
I like using the ECON mode so that I don't trip the ICE as easily when merging onto the highway. Otherwise I don't notice much difference either in driving performance or electric range. I like the fact that it stays on when I start the car if I've shut it off in ECON, don't have to remember to toggle it on every time.
For those of you who haven't yet gone through winter weather in the Clarity there is a situation where you might think, as I did, that you're having a "senior moment". I noticed that the driver's seat heater was on but I could not remember turning it on. That's because when in ECON mode the car warms up a little more slowly (to use less electricity) but it turns on the driver's seat heater to compensate. Nice!
I use my econ mode with pedal 3/4 of the way down most of the time. Unless I'm behind other cars then i only need 1/4 because everyone drives slow I too love the fact that it never turns the ICE on unless you click the button. I also have to say there is definitely more power available if you keep it in regular and accelerate to the ICE point. The combination of EV and ICE provides the electric motor with even more power.
Also, for winter Clarity newbies, expect your EV range to max out at 35 miles (56 km) or less, so you'll be more inclined than ever to use ECON mode. Then there will be the decision for those who shun the ICE (and the ice): Is the seat heater enough to keep me warm or is my trip short enough to start up the electrically powered water heater?
We've had a few cold mornings and nights and my range has already dropped 8km or 5 miles . The struggle is real
Only got my Clarity in late Feb so I only have experience at temps in the low to mid 30s F. I didn’t have my Level 2 EVSE for the first month so I couldn’t precondition and car was outside. When I was first driving the car, I wanted to see what the best EV range was, so I didn’t want to run the heater (cheated briefly once or twice). Never ran the rear defroster. Keeping on my coat and gloves, the seat heater alone was enough to get by for me, but if my wife had been onboard, the heater would have definitely been on. I was able to get low 50s EV range but temps were always higher later in the day. This winter I have Level 2 in an unheated garage and plan to precondtion and use seat heating only after start up which should give me comfort and range. Time will tell when we hit 20F (only have a few days below that). The only concern is that being retired, I don’t have a set time to be able to use pre-conditioning on a schedule. I’ll have to remember to use the fob before I get into the shower. It will probably take a few cold cars to train me to remember it! To be honest, I’ll add the preconditioning kW into the charging kW when figuring cost per mile and MPGe. It will be interesting to see how much of an effect that will have.
One advantage of Sports mode (besides the added pep) is that you can use regenerative braking much more effectively. I don't use regen braking for energy savings reasons, I actually like the way it feels. In Econ mode the regen braking is almost useless. In Sports mode it stays on and you can use your paddle very effectively to slow down. I just find it enjoyable enough to remain in Sports mode most of the time.
