Honda Clarity switching from EV to D

  • Thread starter Thread starter Lynn-W
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Lynn-W

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hey all, I’ve had my Clarity since 7/1/2018. No issues. Took it in for my first oil change and some software updates. Since then it just randomly switches from EV to D. I don’t want to use gas. Any ideas?
 
First: Huh what? You can't not use "D" unless you prefer "N" and push with your feet... "EV", "Sport", and the little hybrid engine icon all have nothing to do with that.

Second: You bought a PHEV, not an EV. You can't not use gas sometimes unless you never travel more than 20-ish miles away from home. Let the car do its thing. It knows whether it needs the engine on or not.
 
petteyg359 said:
First: Huh what? You can't not use "D" unless you prefer "N" and push with your feet... "EV", "Sport", and the little hybrid engine icon all have nothing to do with that.

Second: You bought a PHEV, not an EV. You can't not use gas sometimes unless you never travel more than 20-ish miles away from home. Let the car do its thing. It knows whether it needs the engine on or not.
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I’m telling you the car is different since the software updates. I haven’t put gas in my car since last September. It NEVER switched from EV to D as I charged it daily at home and at work. Now I’m using gas and I can see the bars on my gauge getting lower.
 
Lynn-W said:
I’m telling you the car is different since the software updates. I haven’t put gas in my car since last September. It NEVER switched from EV to D as I charged it daily at home and at work. Now I’m using gas and I can see the bars on my gauge getting lower.
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Again, "D" is "drive". If you're moving forwards, the car is in "D". This is not some optional thing.

You say you only bought the car in July. The interval on oil changes is supposed to be one year, from everything I've seen on this forum and my own car. Unless you bought one that was used for test drives for 6-ish months and they sold it to you as "new", something doesn't add up here.
 
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Apparently I’m not making myself clear. Since 7/1/2018 when I drove my NEW 2018 car, EV has appeared on my dash instead of D when I was going forward as opposed to R or N. Therefore I was using my charge, not gas.

The car had less than 100 miles on it when I left the showroom. I have nearly 8000 now as I drove round trip from Texas to Michigan. During that trip, I did not charge my car and used only gas. Therefore D appeared instead of EV on my dash. Since returning from Michigan in sept, I have not had to add gas to my car. I drove about 4000 miles since then.

Now it shows D randomly even when I have a charge. I can hear my engine and the bars on my gas gauge are disappearing.

I did read on another thread that this can be happening because the gas in my tank is old.

I’ll continue researching. Thanks.
 
Lynn-W said:
Apparently I’m not making myself clear. Since 7/1/2018 when I drove my NEW 2018 car, EV has appeared on my dash instead of D when I was going forward as opposed to R or N. Therefore I was using my charge, not gas.
Now it shows D randomly even when I have a charge.
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Yet again, the icon that shows "D" or "R" or "N" or "P" is entirely distinct from the icon that shows "EV". They are two disparate indications, shown in separate locations on the display. Neither has anything at all to do with the other.

clarity dash.webp
(image source: https://carswithplugs.com/2017/12/18/2018-honda-clarity-phev-initial-review/comment-page-1/)
 
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The picture above minus EV is what I’m now experiencing. It just shows D, no EV despite being fully charged. This never happened prior to software updates. I don’t know what the software updates pertained to. I just know there were 4 of them. The dealership referred to them as “recalls.”
 
It looks like you need to turn Econ mode back on by pushing the Econ button above the gear selector buttons. The dash will briefly show Econ Mode On in the center display and you will get an icon of green leaves above the D in your picture.
 
My guess is that either it reset to off when they did the updates or the dealer turned it off when doing a test drive after maintenance. In Econ mode the ICE will still turn on if needed, but you have to push past the click point on the accelerator.

From the manual:
If you select ECON mode, the threshold for the engine to provide additional power is higher than it is when the vehicle is in either of the other two drive modes. Note that if the accelerator pedal is depressed past the point at which you feel a click, the engine will start in the ECON mode.
 
MichiganClarity said:
My guess is that either it reset to off when they did the updates or the dealer turned it off when doing a test drive after maintenance.
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At least one of the updates requires a complete reboot of the system. ECON is saved across power on/off, but was reset on mine after the updates too. Without flooring the pedal, though, I never saw it cause a major difference to when the engine came on.
 
The D is for Drive and was probably always there. What you are missing is the EV and it is using more gas. I think the others are correct, one you push the Econ button the car will favor EV as much as possible.

All that being said I am a firm believer some engine use is not a bad thing just to keep things lubricated and running. In fact your Clarity or fuel age may have even be reaching some sort of time or mileage point where the car has decided to run the engine for it own good. Unfortunately we do not have all the information on all the conditions that may cause the engine to run.

Please report back. I am sure we would all like to know the outcome of your situation. We are all collectively learning about this car. In many ways the Clarity is mysterious.
 
Lynn-W said:
Nope. It’s only been like this from the software update.
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It appears your screen display settings have changed due to the software update. It could also be a coincidence that your ice has behaved differently at the same time. So as long as it still shows ev then you're fine. Just make sure that the ice doesn't continue running when your properly charged.
 
Lynn-W said:
hey all, I’ve had my Clarity since 7/1/2018. No issues. Took it in for my first oil change and some software updates. Since then it just randomly switches from EV to D. I don’t want to use gas. Any ideas?
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Hi Lynn - I own a Clarity and just read your post (and totally understand what you were saying). My Clarity is doing the exact same thing. I went two years of driving only electric (EV) and now my car just randomly switches out of EV. Did you ever find a cause and/ or solution?
 
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