Yep, still does occasionally, almost always in roughly the same place, and always when I coast or use the regen paddles with a battery over 95% charge. I don't understand why it doesn't happen EVERY time, but it doesn't happen randomly, either - it's always with a full battery, within a couple minutes of driving off from the charger. I stopped letting it bug me. It is rarely on for more than a mile.Hey just wondering if you've had any luck figuring out what was causing this. I'm a new (month old) owner and started having this same problem randomly. I made a thread here:
https://www.insideevsforum.com/comm...-issues-on-new-plugin-hybrid.3552/#post-34712
Been driving me crazy and I also start on a fully charged hill that I head down each day, most of my trips are under 10 miles each way so when ICE kicks in its for the rest of the drive... and driving me crazy
Have you had this happen anymore?
Clarity System Check
- Thread starter Scottacus
- Start date
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bobcubsfan
Well-Known Member
bobcubsfan
Well-Known Member
Me too, but the inconsistent behavior is annoying.
Yup! Thats why I was wondering if others had the same issue, sounds like you do, but mine stays as all white for much longer, sounds like yours goes back to blue more often than me. But yeah its the randomness that is annoying since I'm a software dev debugging this kinda stuff without knowing why its doing what it is is the real annoyance.
bobcubsfan
Well-Known Member
AnthonyW
Well-Known Member
Cay see post 63 that I just posted today. I think Bob’s car is an exception, but this pretty much explains why it happens and why it is random.
Post 63.
SOLVED- Unexpected ICE Turns On
https://www.insideevsforum.com/community/threads/SOLVED--Unexpected-ICE-Turns-On.3402/
Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs
neal adkins
Well-Known Member
I wonder if it could have something to do with the colder weather. It may be warming the ice up.
KentuckyKen
Well-Known Member
Are you sure it didn’t run the ICE on a System Check for a few minutes the day before without you noticing it? That’s what happened to me. The idle speed is so quiet, especially at hwy speeds, that it’s easy to miss if you don’t notice the Power Meter change to all dashed white for a few minutes. When my HV range estimate went down 2 miles, I checked my hour meter I installed under the hood and sure enough, the ICE had run for 3 minutes.
I’m driving all EV in town and the ICE seems to come on about every 3 weeks or so for just a few minutes and my HV range declines by 1-3 miles. I’m assuming this is the System Check keeping it lubed and ready to answer the call. I’m also assuming in warm weather that’s enough to get it up to operating temp and this winter it may take a little extra time to do so. That’s OK with me, since over 6 months I haven’t even lost a bar on the gas gauge.
The Gadgeteer
Well-Known Member
I read somewhere the Clarity Plug In will under some full battery conditions spin the ICE instead of regen braking basically like downshifting in a normal car to slow down and without brakes. I do not know if one of the motors are spinning the ICE and/or some minimal amount of gas is being used.
This thread focuses on the mysterious way the Clarity Plug-In Hybrid dispenses with excess power when braking with a fully charged battery.
This chart shows how the different modes work--the bottom right diagram shows the starter motor/generator fighting the ICE to use up power.
We're still waiting for the definitive explanation about this phenomenon, which is different than the Accord Hybrid and new Insight. Those two i-MMD hybrids use up excess power that can't go to the battery by turning off the ICE, closing its valves, and sending the regen power from the traction motor to the the starter motor/generator, which expends the power by turning the deadened ICE.
The Gadgeteer
Well-Known Member
Don’t forget heating on is also legitimate
KentuckyKen
Well-Known Member
And recent posts say just plain extreme cold will call for the ICE and it will stay on even after it reaches operating temp. (May or may not require heat to be on high; need more data on that.)
MNSteve
Well-Known Member
No, heat doesn't need to be on high.
My personal experience - and with this car it seems YMMV - When I hit START and the weather is very cold (sorry, not sure the exact definition, but 10°F car temperature triggers it) the ICE immediately starts. It runs some minimum time always, to get the fluids warm. After that, it will cycle on and off (EV mode indicator comes on when engine is off) on about a 2-5 minute cycle, presumably to provide cabin heat. I have the cabin temp set to 68. If I go into the Climate screen and turn the fan speed to minimum, within a few seconds the ICE turns off and stays off. I doubt it matters, but I am in ECON mode.
I do not know how pre-conditioning affects this behavior.
bobcubsfan
Well-Known Member
Our lease is up March 7, 2021. I am counting the months until I can get rid of this car.
You have my sympathy. Your are entirely justified to feel this way after being ignored by Honda when you reached out for them to make your Clarity perform like everybody else's Clarity.
bobcubsfan
Well-Known Member
I hate to use the "n" word, Never, but I will probably never lease or buy another Honda.
The Gadgeteer
Well-Known Member
Bob,
If you were to let your Clarity performs it’s strange behaviors is there a way to tell how much gasoline would you end up using at the end of a month? I assume your driving style would not normally produce much if any gasoline usage if you owned a Volt or if the Clarity performed as expected.
KentuckyKen
Well-Known Member
@bobcubsfan, we feel your pain.
Have you ever done a hard reset by disconnecting the 12v battery for a few minutes? Some have had ICE related problems fixed by that. Don’t know if it would help in your case, but it’s worth a shot if you haven’t tried it.
Have you ever done a hard reset by disconnecting the 12v battery for a few minutes? Some have had ICE related problems fixed by that. Don’t know if it would help in your case, but it’s worth a shot if you haven’t tried it.