Clarity in Gas Only Mode

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Lowell_Greenberg

Active Member
Mind Experiment:

If one lost the ability to plug in the Clarity in a home outlet, and public chargers were not readily available, would the Clarity deliver adequate performance and fuel economy running on gas only for an extended period (worst case scenario)? I know the ICE is low horsepower for a two ton car- on the other hand, the ICE can charge the battery. On the other hand, charging the battery from the ICE would likely reduce fuel economy.

For example, both the Clarity and Prius Prime are series parallel designs, but my impression is that the Prius would do better in the above scenario because of its lower curb weight, higher overall efficiency and similar HP engine compared to the Clarity.

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Lowell_Greenberg said:
Mind Experiment:

If one lost the ability to plug in the Clarity in a home outlet, and public chargers were not readily available, would the Clarity deliver adequate performance and fuel economy running on gas only for an extended period (worst case scenario)? I know the ICE is low horsepower for a two ton car- on the other hand, the ICE can charge the battery. On the other hand, charging the battery from the ICE would likely reduce fuel economy.

For example, both the Clarity and Prius Prime are series parallel designs, but my impression is that the Prius would do better in the above scenario because of its lower curb weight, higher overall efficiency and similar HP engine compared to the Clarity.

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Since the clarity has a powerful 32amp 240v onboard charger it could still give great performance. The ev battery can be charged via hv charge mode to 58%. Thus it can be a fully operational self contained hybrid. But nice to be able to plug in and charge to 100%. I usually get more than 50 miles of ev range.
 
Lowell_Greenberg said:
Mind Experiment:

If one lost the ability to plug in the Clarity in a home outlet, and public chargers were not readily available, would the Clarity deliver adequate performance and fuel economy running on gas only for an extended period (worst case scenario)? I know the ICE is low horsepower for a two ton car- on the other hand, the ICE can charge the battery. On the other hand, charging the battery from the ICE would likely reduce fuel economy.

For example, both the Clarity and Prius Prime are series parallel designs, but my impression is that the Prius would do better in the above scenario because of its lower curb weight, higher overall efficiency and similar HP engine compared to the Clarity.
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I think that this "charging the battery from the ICE reducing fuel economy" is overblown. Yes, while you're running in HV Charge, you're seeing lower miles per gallon. But at the same time you're making a deposit in the battery account, which you can redeem later. I am sure that there is a net degradation in gas milage using HV Charge, but it's not what you see on the instantaneous mileage display.

The key word in your question is "adequate" because the definition of that is your own. I have not personally experienced the power loss issues that others have reported here, so my inclination is that power wouldn't be a problem . . . but if you want to cruise up a mountain at 80, then that's a different scenario. As for gas mileage, depends on your definition of "adequate".

Obviously, if you're never going to plug it in, a plug-in hybrid is not an appropriate choice. I wouldn't hesitate taking the Clarity on a road trip where charging opportunities might be rare to non-existent but the reason I chose the car was the flexibility of being able to plug it in but not being dependent on plugging it in every X miles.
 
irange.
MNSteve said:
I think that this "charging the battery from the ICE reducing fuel economy" is overblown. Yes, while you're running in HV Charge, you're seeing lower miles per gallon. But at the same time you're making a deposit in the battery account, which you can redeem later. I am sure that there is a net degradation in gas milage using HV Charge, but it's not what you see on the instantaneous mileage display.

The key word in your question is "adequate" because the definition of that is your own. I have not personally experienced the power loss issues that others have reported here, so my inclination is that power wouldn't be a problem . . . but if you want to cruise up a mountain at 80, then that's a different scenario. As for gas mileage, depends on your definition of "adequate".

Obviously, if you're never going to plug it in, a plug-in hybrid is not an appropriate choice. I wouldn't hesitate taking the Clarity on a road trip where charging opportunities might be rare to non-existent but the reason I chose the car was the flexibility of being able to plug it in but not being dependent on plugging it in every X miles.
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I go on road trips over 220 miles each way every few weeks or so. I start with a full battery and then accept my 40 mpg on the high way. My trip has legs of city driving so i still get about 55 to 60 mpg average for the trip. Better than prius or accord hybrid. Then i can charge at the hotel while i sleep and enjoy 50 plus miles ev range for next days driving. Before traveling on a long down grade i make sure to have my battery close to depleted and run hv charge down hill for about 18 miles. So the various drive modes allow me to maximize my fuel economy without range anxiety. With about half of cars 8k miles being highway miles i still average over 70 mpg.
 
neal adkins said:
Since the clarity has a powerful 32amp 240v onboard charger it could still give great performance.
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Great charging performance at 240V, but it has nothing to do with the performance of the car.

OP, if you can't charge, it's probably better to go with the Prius Prime. You'll average over 50 mpg and go over 550 miles before refilling. You'll have to refuel the Clarity twice as much. In the Northeast states, there's up to a $5000 rebate.
 
But
Electra said:
Great charging performance at 240V, but it has nothing to do with the performance of the car.

OP, if you can't charge, it's probably better to go with the Prius Prime. You'll average over 50 mpg and go over 550 miles before refilling. You'll have to refuel the Clarity twice as much. In the Northeast states, there's up to a $5000 rebate.
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But realistically most everyone can charge. Only on some long road trips it may not be feasible. I heard the Clarity still gets the 7500$ credit in 2019. The extra ev range, and ride puts the clarity in a different class than the prius prime. Im not sure you realize the clarity has a mode that allows the gas engine to charge the battery to 58% while driving wich inhances hybrid performance and gives another 25 miles of ev range.
 
Its would deliver adequate fuel ecomomy and performance. But only average 40 to 44 mpg in hv mode. I know the prius would give better mpg because its much lighter than the roomy 4k pound clarity. Anyways the OP liked my reply. I just dont like the road noise and feel of a smaller economy car such as a prius. But if i wanted smaller car a prius is a great car and very dependable. To be fair i test drove a prius prime before i bought the Clarity. With the 7500$ tax credit the clarity was a better choice for me for both economy and luxury. They really are not a good comparison imho
 
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craze1cars said:
It would be senseless to to me, to own a PHEV if I had zero opportunity to plug it in. In the hypothetical example, I’d simply sell the car.
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So I own a Clarity with infrequent opportunity to charge. Owning a $34k Honda for the price of a Civic that still gets 40 MPG makes perfect sense to me. Plus, down the road, I may move to a place with more frequent access to charging. As an aside, the narrative in this forum about the Clarity being gutless without a charge in the battery is patently false, at least from my experience. Maybe I have the opposite of a lemon?
 
I think the experience of power or lack thereof on the Clarity is extremely situational, depending on terrain, outside temperature, heating usage, speed, SoC, mode, etc. On my 1500 mile trip across from Vt to Kansas, driving solo, at speeds under 70 mph and in temperatures mainly above freezing to high 50Fs, there were no ICE tantrums.

On my trip from VT through the White Mountains and back 350 miles, with 3 people in the car 20Fs down to 10Fs with the heater blasting to keep the rear passenger warm and speeds over 70 mph, accelerating uphill, first heard the angry bee. Reduced speed under 70 and they went away.
 
I would agree that if you have a car that does not throw tantrums when asked to perform with low battery in HV mode, you should count yourself lucky and enjoy the ride. Just be sure to thoroughly test drive the car you are going to take home before you sign the papers.
 
UncheckedException said:
So I own a Clarity with infrequent opportunity to charge. Owning a $34k Honda for the price of a Civic that still gets 40 MPG makes perfect sense to me. Plus, down the road, I may move to a place with more frequent access to charging. As an aside, the narrative in this forum about the Clarity being gutless without a charge in the battery is patently false, at least from my experience. Maybe I have the opposite of a lemon?
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Exactly this.
 
UncheckedException said:
So I own a Clarity with infrequent opportunity to charge. Owning a $34k Honda for the price of a Civic that still gets 40 MPG makes perfect sense to me. Plus, down the road, I may move to a place with more frequent access to charging. As an aside, the narrative in this forum about the Clarity being gutless without a charge in the battery is patently false, at least from my experience. Maybe I have the opposite of a lemon?
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All good! Glad you're happy! OP was asking opinions, we each offered ours and I respect yours. I'd probably pass on the Clarity if my engine was going to be running most of the time and buy something like a 4 cylinder Accord, because in my experience it drives better and more consistently on gasoline only, purchase price about the same (admittedly this varies greatly by where you live because some places give larger PHEV incentives than others), gets comparable fuel mileage (slightly worse I acknowledge) has some more options and features I'd kinda like to have, has a predictable and likely higher resale value with time, can be repaired by anyone as it ages and parts will always be plentiful, and will have a much wider audience of potential buyers when the time comes to get rid of it...cuz 99.9% of the population still says HUH? when you mention the word Clarity. Almost nobody has heard of it.

I've always said it and will continue to say it...again my opinion and others don't always agree: The Clarity is remarkably average as a car, when compared to other cars and ignoring the PHEV aspect. It is, however, very very good as PHEV compared to it's peers, I honestly feel the BEST PHEV on the market, and it largely stands alone with no competition. And that's why I own one. But if I couldn't plug in, I'd buy myself a better "car" than I feel the Clarity is.
 
MPower said:
Then grandma can't go!
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I don’t see why not!

Goldwing-Grandma.jpg
 
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