What did you do to your Clarity Today

Couldn't figure where else to put this, but mobilegeeks.de has a great article about how PHEV's are just as good for the environment as BEV's (you'll need to translate - Chrome works well - study by Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology KIT):

"They compared the actual driving performance of 49,000 all- electric battery-powered vehicles and 73,000 plug-in hybrid vehicles in Germany and the United States. The data for the study comes from fleet tests, from car manufacturers and from websites that serve to manage and monitor your own vehicle - so they are very practical. The data analysis of the scientists shows: Semi-electric plug-in hybrid vehicles with a real electrical range of about 60 kilometers drive as much electric as pure battery vehicles. Both types of drive can cover up to 15,000 kilometers per year electrically. Therefore, the CO2 reduction potential of plug-in hybrids is as great as the CO2 reduction potential of all-electric electric cars with pure battery drive."

That helps support my own anecdotal evidence - I go all weekdays, and most weekends, on EV only. I think our PHEV's have a great opportunity to give us very economic travel while doing that "green thing!"

 

Good point. After 5 weeks of ownership, and use every day, I am about to drive my first gas miles this weekend.

 

I know most people would accuse me of sour grapes (because I didn't buy a Tesla) but based on my prior Prius experience, and now the sheer number of days that 50 miles covers all of my commuting needs, you are carrying a lot of battery (and cost) that is not needed. I still believe that if they put the BEV battery pack in the PHEV, you'd be close to 100 miles EV distance, even urban commuters would almost never use the ICE except for long range driving. Even then, I'd welcome HV mode driving over planning my trips around super charger maps.

 

I agree. I love Tesla for their technology, but would never have one due to Range Anxiety. Before I bought the Clarity I also considered:
Volt - Not available here; BMW 530e - Nice car BUT battery range too short; Ioniq - Battery range too short, and others. I think the Clarity range 47 miles (42 when cold) was a very good design choice.

 

If you're as 'lucky' as me, you'll get 1,000 miles out of your 7 gallons of gas.

 

Range anxiety can be real, but if you typically drive well-traveled routes, chances are excellent there's a supercharger along your route. They are adding at least 3 new superchargers in my area, on Long Island, just this year. As an example, I can easily travel from NY to Florida in my Tesla and always have superchargers along the route. I have to add though, having driven many many cars in my life, the thrill and joy I get out of driving the Tesla remains unparalleled. This takes nothing away from the Clarity, which we both thoroughly enjoy too. Two different cars to fill different needs.

In the end, my wife's logic was probably on target (do I tell her this? ), having one all-electric and one PHEV, makes a lot of sense.

 

Well, if you haven't already told her that you are a stupid husband......and your overall posts demonstrate otherwise...

We have two Tesla owners in our neighborhood, and they've told me they love the driving experience, but out here in West Texas the superchargers are fewer and further between. Still, if you could get 350 miles on a charge that would put El Paso and Fort Worth in striking distance either direction. But I have to say I really agree with your better half in having at least one vehicle you could drive coast to coast without chargers if you had to.

 

Yeah, I actually told her that when she initially expressed that desire. No fool am I!

It's actually hard to argue with her logic...in this case.

 

jdonalds, a quick question for you. I thought the dashcam plug into a USB socket, why do you need to tap into the fuse box to get power?

 

Going on the 5th day w my New Clarity.
1. Waiting on an open box 32 amp hardwired ChargePoint for $499 to arrive tomorrow. Will pull wire myself from breaker box (fortunately in garage) and pay electrician for 1 hr of labor to hook up. Cheapest way I could find to get level 2 charging w internet monitoring.

2. RainXed all exterior glass and added RainX additive to washer fluid. Now at speeds over 30mph the rain beads up and flies off front windshield and rear glass. Don’t have to use wipers near as much. Rubbed some on backup camera lens and seems to improve picture that used to be partially obscured w large water droplets.

3. Used RainX Antifog on interior glass which really helped on the rear window. Don’t have to run the energy hogging rear defroster as much.
Could the inside rear window be any harder to get to?!?!
I finally broke down and paid $12 for an Invisible Glass Brand “reach and clean tool” (basically a triangular pivoting head head on a detachable handle with 2 removable microfiber bonnets). Makes it very easy to clean/treat the rear glass. Also helps in front for us old guys.
Wow, I got the pix uploaded without a teenager to help!


3. Waxing car w NuFinish which I have found to be easier to apply and longer lasting than regular wax.

4. Applying a protectant against UV damage to exposed plastic parts. Have had good results w Gold Eagle Co 303 Protectant. Non greasy and matte not shiny finish. Originally developed for aviation use where planes sit out in the sun all of the time.

5. Ordered Shin Etsu silicone grease (weird name but it’s what Honda recommends) to dress all gaskets (mostly hood/doors/trunk) to keep them pliable. It’s used so sparingly that one tube lasts for years. Other forums swear by it to fix older squeaking/hard to move windows if used very sparingly on widow tracks too.

6. Every 6 months (ok, let’s be honest-I’ll be lucky if I do this once a year) will treat leather with a moisture infusion gel by Mother’s. Doing this kept the leather seats in my 2008 crv that was not garaged for 10 years from cracking.

7. Added Stabil to fill gas tank since most of driving is in town and pure EV with nightly full charge, so I don’t know how long that gas will be in tank. If I’m filling up often enough I’ll skip this in the future.

I know this seems like a lot of effort but I keep cars a long time and on my budget this one has got to last. Also I’m a retired widower with no grandkids (yet!) so I have the time. And although I’m not a hyper miler, I do like to do what I can to reduce non motive use of electrons thereby extending my range and mpg.

 

Welcome aboard @KentuckyKen - wow, you are making me feel like a slacker! I really like the RainX ideas and may have to get off the couch this weekend myself.

 

Where did you purchase this unit? Amazon has it listed for $584 or $629 based on the length of the cord. I'm in the market for one, as well. Thanks for all the other great ideas in your post!

 

Did you consider the Jekayla L2 32 amp charger? It can be found at Amazon for $399.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071K874MG/ref=twister_B074YCTX4F?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

 

It looks like that would do the trick at a much better cost. Would the installation be more difficult for an electrician or would the process be similar?

 

The installation would be the same. The only drawback of the Jekayla chargers is the cord length is only 16.4 feet. Most other chargers are around 25 feet. So you would need to have the plug installed fairly close to the front driver side door.

 

Thanks for mentioning that as I was going to place the unit in the center of the garage, which will be easy access to my vehicle. I envision we may get a second plugin though at some point. If the location of the plug on the vehicle is in the same place, it might be a stretch to reach the second car as it would need to go over top or around the front end. I'll have to take a few measurements to get a feel for the layout.

 

Dear HappyValley and bpratt,
I have had good results buying new/other open box on eBay as long as I Check the sku/product numbers to make sure what I’m getting and that it is unused w all parts/docs. Same for wharehouse deals at Amazon where only the packaging is “damaged” due to having been opened and returned. The ChargePoint was an eBay find, but I prefer Amazon wharehouse deals.

The Jakayla was the lowest priced decent 32a charger and I considered it but needed a 25 Ft cord and it would cost extra for junction box, receptacle, cover plate. And I would have had to cut dry wall and attach box to stud, etc. More work and then only an $80 difference.
Also AFAIK the Jekayla was only UL certified 6 months ago so it would have been a hassle to confirm I’m getting a new one that is UL Cert.
So I went w the ChargePoint for
1. 25 ft cord
2 hard wired:cheaper/easier installation/cost (won’t need to go mobile w it like to a campground and I don’t know where else your going to find a dryer plug lying around!)
3. Peace of mind/3 yr warranty.
4. The real reason I spent more: I wanted the WiFi/internet app feature for tracking my kW consumption. I think (not sure) the Jekala has a display for kW but even if it does I would have to write it down all the time. Not possible w my peanut brain.

If you can wait, open box returns/good as new can save you same $ if you are willing to spend the time looking.

So best wishes on charging and let’s all laugh our way past the gas stations. And if you’re ever in Lexington KY, msg me and you can charge for free. My treat for being able to see another Clarity!

 

This is why I say all ev's should have the charge point be on the front like the Leaf. It just is more convenient.