Not sure if I have missed a setting or not .... my experience is that when I use the left paddle to go to 4 chevrons for regen to slow down, the next time I take my foot off the accelerator I'm back to the original 1 (or no) cheverons and have to tap the paddle again. Thus every time I want to slow down I have to tap the paddle multiple times. I would have thought you could set it once and always have it work that way, or at least just set it once each drive. Am I using this feature properly or have I missed a setting somewhere? Thanks in advance, Gary
It sticks in Sport Mode, but reverts to default regen after a few seconds in Econ or Normal Modes. Note that 1 chevron or "V" is the same as the default regen. That's why you get 2 chevrons when you pull the left paddle once.
Using Sport mode full time defeats the purpose for which I bought this car, minimum use of gasoline. I've never driven a car with one pedal driving, so I don't miss it. Using the paddles and varying the level of regen braking works fine for me.
Using the paddles has an interesting side effect (if you own a second Honda like our Odyssey) - you're always downshifting the transmission manually at stop lights...muscle memory...
Me too. While on sport mode I have learned how to drive on EV without having the ICE kick in, unless I want it to. I still get the full green icon rating for efficient driving, while in sport. But I have learned that s Lot depends on your driving conditions. Most of my driving is on rural hilly roads where sudden acceleration is unnecessary but I going downhill with regen always on is really helpful. So sport in EV works great for me.
The Clarity can't 1 pedal drive in any mode, but you do get closest in Sport with the paddles. Even then, at low speeds it doesn't slow down very quickly with 4 chevron setting (compared to i3 I drive that has 1 pedal driving). With the Clarity, exceeding a certain speed, putting in reverse, or using ACC will disable selected regen level. Sometimes the car will change setting automatically too (if the charge level is too high or a few other situations). The Clarity feels very responsive in Sport mode. It is my favorite by far, but if you don't watch the "go pedal" application it easily starts the engine around 35 or 40 mph and get a nice surge in acceleration (when you get over 30 you need to back off the pedal a bit if you are right near the end of the blue or it likes to start the engine)
I agree with Viking79 that my Clarity can't 1 pedal drive. Even at max the regen won't even light the brake lights, let alone fully stop the car. My wife's Chevy Bolt, on the other hand, can go the whole day without touching the brake pedal. My Clarity is a great freeway cruiser but I have to admit her Bolt is much quicker and more 'fun' to drive. Wouldn't it be nice to lock it in EV mode so you don't have pay attention to the 'blue zone' to avoid the gas engine coming on?
I would love to drive a Bolt EV, I will have to test one when they get back in stock. From what I understand the regen is more aggressive than the i3.
I can't drive in sorry mode without kicking the ICE on . For me is much easier just to use Econ. Yes sport mode offers a more aggressive accelerator response, but I don't need that either .
Viking79 ... what do you mean by "if you are right near the end of the blue"? I've seen several references on this forum in general about folks talking about blue versus white but I don't know what they mean. Could you provide a short explanation? Many thanks in advance!!!
On the power meter, on the inside of the arc, a blue or white line appears. Stay in the blue, no ICE for you! (Unless you stomp on the pedal) Cross hatched white means ICE may run. Solid white means ICE will definitely turn on. From p122 of the manual: The degree to which the electric motor is being powered is displayed by the readings on the POWER side.When you depress the accelerator pedal, the white needle on the gauge moves. The curved blue line on the gauge shows the range within which only the electric motor provides propulsion to the wheels. The length of this line varies depending on the drive mode and the remaining power of the High Voltage battery. When the white needle exceeds the curved blue line, the engine starts and the curved blue line turns white. The power output of the electric motor is restricted when the high voltage battery charge level is running low (one segment on the gauge).If you accelerate aggressively, the engine may start even though the white needle has not exceeded the curved blue line.
As your battery gets down near 0 miles EV range the blue bar slowly grows shorter until the engine starts (at least when cold, haven't tried in summer). The length of the bar represents power available from the battery and depends on a variety of factors although most of the time it looks like in the picture. Pretend the end of the blue is about 120 hp as shown in the picture, battery supposedly puts out 120 hp with the engine able to provide another 60 hp from electricity, if you need more power than the battery can provide the engine starts. Sport mode quickly jumps up to that limit and if you keep accelerating at the same rate above 30 mph your power needs go up dramatically so the engine starts if you hang out near there.
Thank you very much Ken and Viking! Makes perfect sense to me now. I always drive in Econ mode and find my Request Power indicator is usually between 10 and 11 o'clock. So I think I've always stayed "in the blue". But I'll keep an closer eye on this now that I understand how it works. Cheers and thanks again, Gary
And if you stay in ECON Mode, you have the accelerator pedal detent (or "click") to help you stay in EV drive without needing to pay attention to the POWER/CHARGE Gauge. That said, I will claim the POWER/CHARGE Gauge is the most useful method of providing feedback of all Honda's driver aids. I think it's brilliant.
