Battery capacity took a beat this summer

[coutinpe]

I suspected the hellish summers of these deserts would take a toll on an EV battery life. Last winter in PHX it "only" went down from 49.6 to 49.3 Ah from Nov/25 to May 26, but dropped from 49.3 to 48.3 from May to today, a fall of 0.3 Ah during winter against a full Ah during summer. I think I saw somewhere that driving more on HV mode could mitigate this. I drive almost exclusively on EV mode. Any ideas?

 

[Robert_Alabama]

Probably driving in HV mode would cause less degradation, but I wouldn't do that. You still have a reasonable amount of room until the battery pack is degraded to what Honda would consider as time to replace (87% vs 66%). I would continue to drive it just like you have been. Also, it does seem that the degradation curve generally continues to flatten out, so you may not continue to lose Ah at the same rate.

 

[petteyg359]

So one thing I've noticed, in my 2018, which still has somewhere over 80% capacity. I only ever charge it on L1 chargers from a standard wall outlet. I suspect that keeping that low-C rate has extended the lifetime a bit.

 

[Conelite]

So one thing I've noticed, in my 2018, which still has somewhere over 80% capacity. I only ever charge it on L1 chargers from a standard wall outlet. I suspect that keeping that low-C rate has extended the lifetime a bit.

I don't think that matters too much whether its L1 or L2 charging. I charge mine on L2 at work from Zero miles and L1 at home from Zero miles daily.

My local dealer said that the battery capacity number is irrelevant. As long as you have active check engine lights when you take it in, they warranty the battery. My co-worker is scheduled to have his battery replaced next month. If it happens, Ima take mine in shortly after.

 

[neal adkins]

Above 107 degrees and while charging on a 240v 32 amp charger was when I started seeing the fan on the car run continuously during the charge cycle. Then my range dropped to around 32 miles with ac on. My rule is to limit charging on level 2 during extreme heat (above 100). Now that it's cooler and not using the ac, my range is around 45 miles.

 

[neal adkins]

I suspected the hellish summers of these deserts would take a toll on an EV battery life. Last winter in PHX it "only" went down from 49.6 to 49.3 Ah from Nov/25 to May 26, but dropped from 49.3 to 48.3 from May to today, a fall of 0.3 Ah during winter against a full Ah during summer. I think I saw somewhere that driving more on HV mode could mitigate this. I drive almost exclusively on EV mode. Any ideas?

I'm with you on driving more on hv. When I get on the freeway for a few miles I will switch to hv. In the city, I like ev for speeds around 50 and below. If you want to drive on ev all the time, buy an ev imo. That said, I still drive around 90 to 95 percent on ev in my local area. I like to fill up with fresh gas about every 5 to 6 weeks.

 

[coutinpe]

I'm with you on driving more on hv. When I get on the freeway for a few miles I will switch to hv. In the city, I like ev for speeds around 50 and below. If you want to drive on ev all the time, buy an ev imo. That said, I still drive around 90 to 95 percent on ev in my local area. I like to fill up with fresh gas about every 5 to 6 weeks.

I almost do all my driving local and on EV. When I need to hit the freeway for long trips i switch to my backup (wife's) car (2023 Cadillac XT4 gas, EV limos have affordability issues). But now that you mention it, previously when I lived in in Vegas I did a lot of freeway driving with the Clarity, including frequent trips from LV to LA and/or to Phoenix, and the degradation rate wasn't as fast. For that I always used HV and Sport mode for all freeway driving. Maybe you are into something. I also did L2 charging from the beginning.

 

[coutinpe]

Above 107 degrees and while charging on a 240v 32 amp charger was when I started seeing the fan on the car run continuously during the charge cycle. Then my range dropped to around 32 miles with ac on. My rule is to limit charging on level 2 during extreme heat (above 100). Now that it's cooler and not using the ac, my range is around 45 miles.

That may well be the root cause. In fact, the first and only time I had to charge under the sun at 113F in LV the car sounded some sort of a beeping alarm. The following day was when I noticed the first significant drop in capacity. I try to charge always at night. Unfortunately, my insulated garage keeps a steady 95F all night long.

 

[neal adkins]

That may well be the root cause. In fact, the first and only time I had to charge under the sun at 113F in LV the car sounded some sort of a beeping alarm. The following day was when I noticed the first significant drop in capacity. I try to charge always at night. Unfortunately, my insulated garage keeps a steady 95. Make sure to check your 12v battery. When it starts to go bad it will also shorten range because the main ev battery system is trying to keep the 12v charged too.