Clarity Paddle Shifters

[ClarityBill]

Seems like the paddles allow more braking with NO friction braking, and more regeneration for a given level of braking.

The paddles do not apply the friction brakes, but even a light pressure on the brake peddle will start activating the friction brakes. When the paddles are engaged, and the brakes applied, there is more regeneration for the amount of brake pedal. Honda could have put more regeneration at the 'top' of the brake pedal, but that would require longer stroke on the pedal: Honda has been widely complimented on the excellent feel of the brakes, and this would make the brakes feel weird.

Keeping the regeneration level set with the paddles, and not resetting after each use, would be harder on the tires: There would be constant drive and braking action, rather than allowing coasting. Front tires on EV vehicles generally wear out quickly: High torque, and constant regeneration.

 

[KentuckyKen]

IMHO, there is no difference between light to normal braking vs. paddle. I.e. braking force that does not bottom out the green part of the power meter. And as long as your braking force is giving you more regen, I think that it’s still regen and not physical brakes. But when you brake hard enough that the regen decreases or the power meter bottoms out, then I think you are adding physical braking to the mix.

I use the paddles primarily because I’m lazy and it’s easier to move a finger than my leg and foot. By looking ahead and not “jack rabbiting” to the next red light or stop sign, most of the time I can get by with only paddle deceleration (and not having to move my leg/foot since I usually hit the next intersection without stopping). When I do have to come to a full stop, I’m only using the brakes for the last 5-10 mph. Although I must admit that I’m recovering from pedal-paddle phobia (the irrational fear that using the brake pedal instead of the paddle will wear out my brakes faster and give me less regen). If the pads and rotors don’t go at least a 100,000 miles, I’ll be very surprised and a little disappointed.

If I could I’d nominate the Honda engineers that designed this absolutely seamless braking/regeneration system, the Brake Hold, and the extra regeneration for the Nobel Prize. Yes, I don’t pine for 1 pedal driving as I find it too much effort to slow down gradually as I’m always having to feather the go pedal. I guess if you’re a sportier or more aggressive driver you’d like to have it but for me, meh.

BTW, my driving style is some where in the middle of Mario Andretti and Grandma Moses. I don’t hyper-mile but I don’t jack rabbit start and hard brake either. So I get a little better MPGe than most. But even in ECON, I find my self almost instantly up to 30 mph and I’m hardly out of the intersection.
Absolutely love this vehicle. I’m getting 140 MPGe in the spring and summer with the AC on with no passengers and local driving under 60 mph. And with a 9.9 kW solar PV system to take car of charging costs, I’m not even calculating cents/mile any more or how much I’m saving vs current gas prices. I’m just calling it $900-1,000/year savings since I’m a low milage driver.

 

[JeffJo]

Caveat: I drive an Accord Hybrid, but my understanding is that this works the same.

Has anyone gathered data on regen to battery via paddles vs (light) braking?
I've been playing w/this on gentle downhills leading to a stop or slowed down cars ahead.

I have used long hills to compare the paddles to the brake peddle, and concluded:

1. "Drive by Wire" applies to the brake peddle as well as the gas peddle. Neither is mechanically connected to the devices it controls.
   1. How far you depress the gas peddle tells a computer how much drive force you want. The computer then applies whatever power sources that it deems to be correct based on many factors, including your choice of modes, your speed, and the battery level.
   2. How far you depress the brake peddle tells a computer how much braking force you want. The computer uses regenerative braking first. If it can't get enough that way, or it thinks you need four-wheel braking instead of front-wheel braking only, it applies the mix of the disc brakes that it deems correct.
   3. I recall reading somewhere that this type of braking has redundant sensors and other fail safes to prevent it from breaking down. I can't say for sure where I read it.
2. Drivers are used to an ICE car slowing down via engine braking when they take their foot off of the gas. An electric car - which is what ours are when our foot is off of the gas - will not unless the PCU draws current to charge the battery.
   1. To match what drivers expect, I believe that even if you don't touch the paddles, you start with the "<" (i.e., one chevron) level of regenerative braking. Touch the left peddle once, and it goes to "<<".
   2. Pressing the brake peddle will simply add that commanded level of braking force to what the chevrons say. And remember, no chevrons is the same as one.
3. So using the paddles does not necessarily cause any more, or any less, energy to be recaptured. What it does do, is give you some control over when it adds in the disc brakes.
   1. As long as you use just the paddles, you are getting maximum recapture.
   2. This may actually help train you to come to slower stops.
4. If we trust the engineers at Honda, the "<<<<" level should reach some kind of practical limit. I can think of two limits to how fast you can brake, and use regen for all of it. The battery may not be able to accept it any faster, and it may not be safe to use just the front wheels for braking.
5. In SPORT mode, you can use the chevron level for a limited form of "one foot driving." Since the philosophy of SPORT mode includes giving the driver more control, and of the non-SPORT modes to take that burden away as much as possible, it does make sense for the chevron level to be retained only in SPORT mode. You may not agree.
   1. I use it in a rural area with short, but steep, hills for this very purpose. I hardly ever touch the brakes.

 

[Emagin]

Two responses.
1) I like using the paddles only because it ensures I'm not using the physical brakes, saving the brakes.

Ok, I'm no expert here, but keep reading that foot on brake pedal does NOT equal pads to disk braking, that the Clarity decides to regen on light press of brake, and only engages pads 'as needed'. This is the mystery to me, if braking means regen and paddles means regen, is there really a difference?
It's one thing for all of us to describe the feeling, or the green regen display to each other, but do we have data of how much energy really goes back in?
I guess you could test over and over again on a hill comparing the EV miles increase between the two modes (paddle vs. pedal) (And let's not add "peddle" (to sell by going door to door) or we'll all go crazy!)

 

[jdonalds]

but even a light pressure on the brake peddle will start activating the friction brakes.

I don't believe that to be true. I believe when the brake pedal is depressed there is some distance where only regen is applied, then with more pedal movement the friction brakes will engage. The unfortunate thing is Honda did not provide any feedback so we know at what point that happens.

 

[Sandroad]

I don't use the paddles at all because I drive another car (Subaru Outback) where the paddles can be used for shifting. It's a bad idea for manufactures to make a system like this that does completely different things on different vehicles.

I'm happy the Clarity does not have one-pedal driving. I came from a PHEV that did and it was fatiguing to always have to keep my foot on the accelerator.

I'm 99% sure the vast majority of slowing the car when stopping using the brake pedal is from regen, at least the way I drive and brake. As I come to a stop when the windows are open, I can hear the friction brake pads hit the rotors at about the last 5-7 mph prior to full stop. I drive very conservatively, but do not hyper-mile or make a nuisance of myself when driving around by going slow and stopping by coasting. I have no doubt the generator is capable of absorbing most of the car's inertia when it spools up and sends amps to the battery.