Local Honda dealer let me take home a clarity for the weekend. I don’t think the car had ever been charged after sitting on the lot for six months. I am worried about the battery condition. After the initial charge at my house on a 110 the clarity only has 42 miles on electric. Will this improve after more charging On a regular basis? Or Do you think the extended time on the lot w/o charging in the heat of Arkansas adversely affected the battery. December 2017 build date. Thanks.
One of the big factors in the ev range estimate is the previous actual range. The more conservatively you drive the higher your EV range estimate will be. Another major factor is ambient temperature. Middle range temps are best (40-90F). Very cold or hot can reduce to the 35-40 miles range.
EV range is not a direct indication of charge in the battery; rather, it's kWh (available charge) times miles/kWh (a moving estimate based on recent drive and other factors). While it's reasonable to speculate that poor Clarity battery stewardship (e.g. by the dealership) could damage the Li ion battery, EV range won't be a reliable indicator of that.
If you're concerned, have the dealer hook up the car to their i-HDS and pull the Battery Pack Capacity signal. It will show how the battery is doing. Full capacity is around 55Ah. Warranty replacement is at 36.6 Ah. It should be done at the PDI. Honda states that letting the car sit for 3 months with a low HV battery can permanent damage it.
First drive will have low EV range estimate because it's trying to extrapolate based on little or no previous data. Depending on the use of AC, Heat, or percent time spent drag racing, the range estimate will vary after the next charge.