Highway mpg lower?

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lanb said:
New user here trying to get a real-world sense of EV vs. HV on the clarity.

My one-way commute is about 20 miles and is 90% on a highway with speeds of 75 MPH to 85 MPH.

Given the clarity's 40+ EV range, can I generally get the round-trip done just in EV, even with the high speeds ?
I may or may not get a charging spot at work depending on how crowded it is on a particular day.

I ask because, in the Sonata PHEV review, it was mentioned that the gas engine kicks in above 75 MPH.

Also, how bad is the "angry bees" noise in highway speeds ?

Thanks in advance !
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My commute is about 70 miles round trip and 90% freeway, driving 70 to 85 depends on traffic.

I usually have 8 to 15 miles left on EV range so I would say you might have enough to cover your whole commute and occasionally burn some gas.... I can charge at work so I am cover both ways and works out great
 
lanb said:
New user here trying to get a real-world sense of EV vs. HV on the clarity.

My one-way commute is about 20 miles and is 90% on a highway with speeds of 75 MPH to 85 MPH.

Given the clarity's 40+ EV range, can I generally get the round-trip done just in EV, even with the high speeds ?
I may or may not get a charging spot at work depending on how crowded it is on a particular day.

I ask because, in the Sonata PHEV review, it was mentioned that the gas engine kicks in above 75 MPH.

Also, how bad is the "angry bees" noise in highway speeds ?

Thanks in advance !
Click to expand...

Yes, you should normally only use EV mode, even at highway speeds.
This engine DOES NOT kick in at a certain speed like the Sonata. It will kick in based on battery SOC, whether you have the HV button depressed, or if you have pushed the accelerator pedal beyond a certain point, which " asks" the ECM to fire up the engine.

"angry bees" are only unsettling because most of us aren't accustomed to hearing an engine spinning at a specific RPM (ala generator) that is unrelate to road speed. They are only obtrusive on big elevation gains and/or higher (75+) highway speeds with hills.

-Skip
 
If Honda had simply put a 5-liter V8 under the hood, the "angry bees" discussion would never have begun. Hmmm, how long would that 7-gallon gas tank last feeding an MPG-challenged V8? Perhaps the 40% efficient 1.5-liter engine was a good choice, after all. It could be worse: Honda might have cloaked the angry bees by piping in a V8-engine racket through the Clarity's sound system.
 
SkipperT said:
This engine DOES NOT kick in at a certain speed like the Sonata. It will kick in based on battery SOC, whether you have the HV button depressed, or if you have pushed the accelerator pedal beyond a certain point, which " asks" the ECM to fire up the engine.
-Skip
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Actually documents I read indicates EV speed is up to 160km/h (100MPH) so the engine will probably kick in at or above that speed. Although you really shouldn't be driving at speed like that anyway, right? ;)
 
iluvscuba said:
Actually documents I read indicates EV speed is up to 160km/h (100MPH) so the engine will probably kick in at or above that speed. Although you really shouldn't be driving at speed like that anyway, right? ;)
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Car & Driver said Honda has limited the Clarity PHEV's top speed to 101 mph (160.9 km/h).
 
Thanks all for the info and discussion on the EV use in freeway speeds. Also good to know the top speed :)
 
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