This is weird but very good. We've put on just over 600km on my wife's Clarity so far and the range keeps increasing after each charge. Today, she went 102km on electric only on econ mode on a full charge then the ICE kicked in with 2 bars remaining. This was the furthest ever for us. She blew past the Honda specified range of 76km and past the onboard computer's displayed range! How far have you guys been able to extract out of a charge on EV only?
Best I’ve ever gotten was 67.2 miles. That was level ground, moderate acceleration, 55mph max, 75/25 city/hwy, one person, no other weight, and no other non-motive drain on the battery like lights, heat, etc. The temps were in the 50s when I charged and uo to 70s F driving. Conditions and driving style make all the difference. Now with A/C and 90s, I’m only getting low 60s and I set charging to begin at 5:00 am when garage is coolest (now that’s 80F)
My wife’s record today at 102km was with 5 people in the car and a half full trunk, hot day 35C (85F) with air conditioning on, and very gradual uphill one direction mix of highway & streets. Her max speed was not very efficient at 115km/hr.
That's fantastic range. According to Tesla, their vehicles achieve their best efficiency (vis-a-vis EV range) at 23 mph. After that, wind resistance reduces range per unit electricity so the faster you go, the less range you have. I imagine it's not so different for the Clarity. Imagine if you were driving on some narrow country road where the speed limit is 25 - 30 mph. Most of my driving is suburban in-town driving (25-35 mph) I've been seeing the EV range in the low sixties (on the screen) with 80-85% charge (I don't charge to 100% unless necessary to prolong battery longevity). I do believe the range to be true because on round trips that take about 20 miles, I'll expend only 15 miles of that w/o A/C or only 17 miles with A/C (don't really know what will happen if I go to 0%/two bars because I charge after every errand--again to prolong battery longevity).
The other reason is that the gear is low for the ev motor, since it has to move the car from a stop. So it's not as effective at high speed.
Honda has already taken care of the problem of over charging the battery and reducing life. The Battery the Clarity uses has a maximum charge of 4.2 Volts per cell and the computer only allows it to be charged to 3.7 volts per cell or 88%. The minimum charge per cell is set at 3.0 volts or 2 bars because anything less than that can cause the battery to degrade. I believe Honda has set up the computer to give maximum life for the Battery without us trying to extend it.
