Honda EV news

There is low production for the EV, but apparently there is a waiting list for people who want them.

In the meantime, before the modular EV platform, they are bringing out a new platform next year. No real details, wonder if that platform has phev variations. It will be announced next year.

https://www.autoblog.com/2019/05/08/honda-new-global-platform-fewer-trims-more-hybrids/

 

Unpopular is the reason why we are getting all the huge discounts. Honda did a piss poor job of advertising the car. With the volt being gone there is no PHEV with 50 miles EV that costs under $25K for touring post federal credit. Not factoring state/local rebates.

 

Again the article says not one thing about any PHEVs. Not Volt or Clarity. This article is talking about EVs.

Completely different topic, and to me the irony is thick here...

Due to the popularity of the Clarity PHEV version on this forum vs the wildly unpopular Clarity Electric that is darn near never discussed because hardly anyone even on this forum drives one, the confusion already stated in this thread thus far pretty much proves that many even forget that the Clarity Electric exists.

And when Clarity BEVs are selling long term at a rate of about 80 per month, and Leafs and Bolts sell well over 1000 per month consistently...and let’s not even mention Tesla sales success, it is pretty darn clear to me that among EVs, the Clarity BEV is precisely nothing more than “an unpopular compliance car.”

Heck with an 89 mile range that is less than half of all that competition I’m not surprised in the least.

I have no qualms with the article lol...it’s just delivering info and truths...it’s up to the reader to comprehend the intent of the article accurately. The author did fine.

 

I will have to disagree on many points.
There is currently (and always has been) a waiting list to get a Clarity Electric. Not sure how you come to the "unpopular" conclusion.
Compliance Car? Absolutely! It checks all the boxes - availability limited to select Section 177 States in limited volume, designed and produced primarily to garner ZEV credits. You can't actually ever but it - it is lease only with no option to purchase.

And much of the lack of discussion about the BEV is that it simply works. No "angry bees", HV vs EV mode, will my gas go bad, oil change intervals, mpg discussions, etc. In all actuality, most of the discussions on this forum do not apply to the BEV.

And the "unpopular" line by Electrek should come as no surprise to those that follow EV's at all. They are radically biased towards Tesla and pointedly critical of any other manufacturer. They report on other brands, but tend to do so thru a distorted lens.

And, like it or not, PHEV's are often viewed as poor substitutions for a "real" EV. They tend to have all the disadvantages of both technologies, with a watered down version of the advantages a pure EV offers. Granted, the Clarity Plug-In variant provides enough electric range to be pretty darn useful (and with the demise of the Volt is the sole offering with that type of range). Unfortunately, way too many PHEV's offer sub 20 mile EV range, with some falling in the <10 mile category.

And the 89 mile range is actually much less than half the range of the competition (if you look at roomy 5 passenger sedans). The Model S has 370 miles of range. You could maybe throw the Ioniq in there, but it is classified as a hatchback and is a much smaller car. It offers 124 miles of range.

The future belongs to BEV's and that is the subject of the article.

 

In my opinion Clarity electric is just a test bed to collect data on battery degeneration, user behavior etc. It is not designed to be a consumer product. It is basically a Clarity PHEV with engine removed and a second battery module shoved in the trunk. It had very low development cost.

 

I think the reason for the lack of Clarity EV sales is twofold, well threefold if you consider that none are technically sold, they can only be leased in California and Oregon, with no option to purchase at the end of the lease, or as far as I know even extend the lease. Leasing of course is attractive to many people for a variety of reasons, especially with BEV where the technology is rapidly changing. But still I would guess that a few Clarity EV sales are "lost" because they can't be purchased. Not to mention that it is only available in two states. And a waiting list in those states.

Range of course is primary, but only because anyone who is buying their first electric car will likely be scared off by everyone telling them that 89 miles is ridiculously low range. Even though not that long ago people were buying (well mainly leasing) Nissan Leafs by the boatload with similar range. The reality is that many people can easily get by with 89 mile range, like we used to say about the Leaf it's great for someone who very rarely drives a lot of miles, or as a second car. Nowadays ranges have increased enough that BEV is doable for a lot more people, but that doesn't mean that there still aren't people who can easily live with 89 mile range, again the same criteria, relatively low daily miles or as a second car. And a very nice car at that, one that they would very likely enjoy much more than say a new Leaf or Ioniq. But I think people get scared off by the first review they read.

Thirdly, like Clarity PHEV which has an even larger potential market of people who the car would be a great fit for and who would really enjoy it, but those same people have never heard of it because Honda does little marketing. Some people blame Honda for that, I don't, if there's one thing big companies are smart about it's marketing, so I have no doubt that they are doing what is logical for them at the moment. And based on the recent articles I have no doubt they have very well thought out long term plans for hybrids, BEV and PHEV.