Is there a way to "force" EV mode?

[SeeItAllWithTheClarity]

I have noticed that if I am driving in any "normal" mode (not hybrid) and push the throttle hard enough to start the gas engine, it typically takes several minutes for the car to recognize that it can go back into EV only mode, and the gas engine remains on for longer than I would like. I try to toggle modes to re-enter EV mode to no avail. Is this typical? Any fix for this minor frustration?

 

[vicw]

I believe that when the ICE is activated, it is intentionally kept running until it's fully up to normal operating temperature, to prevent potential problems such as condensation damage.

 

[bobcubsfan]

Look at the thread ICE Breaker.

 

[insightman]

I have noticed that if I am driving in any "normal" mode (not hybrid) and push the throttle hard enough to start the gas engine, it typically takes several minutes for the car to recognize that it can go back into EV only mode, and the gas engine remains on for longer than I would like. I try to toggle modes to re-enter EV mode to no avail. Is this typical? Any fix for this minor frustration?

You can pull over and turn the car off and on again to stop the engine. I don't do this anymore because I've conceded that there's a reason Honda made it work that way even though I don't like it.

Let me again step up on my soap box to express my desire for clarity about what my Clarity is doing. I wish there was a tech screen that revealed the case-by-case reason the engine was activated, how much time the engine has logged (both cumulative and since a driver-selected point in time), and engine RPMs. I also want to see other tech info, such as a moving graph that shows how close the car is to engaging (or disconnecting) the Engine Drive clutch so I can tailor my driving to keep it engaged. How about a read-out of how many volts are being used to drive the traction motor--reading the Honda engineers' paper about the 2014 Accord, I learned that one of the efficiencies they discovered was to vary the electrical voltage sent to the traction motor for different situations.

[insightman steps down from his soap box]

 

[bobcubsfan]

Can I join you on the soapbox? ICE came on again today just because "it felt like it."

 

[bfd]

EV only isn't an option in this car. It's a hybrid. The ICE is going to pop on and off. That's how hybrids work. With time and experience, though, many will learn how to maximize their time using battery power.

 

[jdonalds]

EV only isn't an option in this car. It's a hybrid. The ICE is going to pop on and off. That's how hybrids work. With time and experience, though, many will learn how to maximize their time using battery power.

The good news is with Econ On and Sport & HV both Off the car will behave like it's in EV. We drive for weeks at a time without the engine coming on.

 

[jdonalds]

I have noticed that if I am driving in any "normal" mode (not hybrid) and push the throttle hard enough to start the gas engine, it typically takes several minutes for the car to recognize that it can go back into EV only mode, and the gas engine remains on for longer than I would like. I try to toggle modes to re-enter EV mode to no avail. Is this typical? Any fix for this minor frustration?

I've only had the engine come on a few times so I don't know if this really works or not. After I knew the engine was running I switched HV on and off a few times and it seemed to stop the engine - not immediately but after 10-20 seconds.

 

[bobcubsfan]

EV only isn't an option in this car. It's a hybrid. The ICE is going to pop on and off. That's how hybrids work. With time and experience, though, many will learn how to maximize their time using battery power.

How can

EV only isn't an option in this car. It's a hybrid. The ICE is going to pop on and off. That's how hybrids work. With time and experience, though, many will learn how to maximize their time using battery power.

How can "time an experience" stop the ICE from coming on for no apparent reason?

 

[bobcubsfan]

The good news is with Econ On and Sport & HV both Off the car will behave like it's in EV. We drive for weeks at a time without the engine coming on.

I have had the ICE come on using the exact settings you mention. It comes on when "it feels like it."

 

[jdonalds]

I have had the ICE come on using the exact settings you mention. It comes on when "it feels like it."

I wonder why Bob. That's not our experience.

We're thrilled that we can drive on battery power alone for weeks at a time. The only times the engine comes on is on trips when we run in HV mode, the rare times when we push past the accelerator detent, or when the battery power is depleted.

 

[insightman]

This premature enginulation is especially disappointing for bobcubsfan, with his background in the software industry, but no way to connect to and query the computers in his Clarity.

I could be wrong, but until the recent HV range update, I expect all of the relatively few Clarity PHEVs shipped to the US were loaded with the same software. If that's true, then some mechanical factor or malfunctioning sensor must be responsible for Bob's seemingly random engine activation.

Certainly, during the car's development, there was logging software that recorded every input to the computers in the car. Memory's so cheap these days that it wouldn't be expensive to continue storing operational data. I wonder what kind of logging goes on in the "final" software release?

 

[bobcubsfan]

As I reported, the dealer found nothing wrong. I have a case with Honda, but now the rep refuses to return my calls.

 

[bfd]

Whoa! Getting put on ignore by Honda is indeed a bad sign…

 

[Carro con enchufe]

I have noticed that if I am driving in any "normal" mode (not hybrid) and push the throttle hard enough to start the gas engine, it typically takes several minutes for the car to recognize that it can go back into EV only mode, and the gas engine remains on for longer than I would like. I try to toggle modes to re-enter EV mode to no avail. Is this typical? Any fix for this minor frustration?

You’ll notice that after the engine warms up, you can use the ICE (ie for highway acceleration) for seconds at a time. Just keep an eye out for the EV symbol below the transmission and Regen indicators. So, it’s probably good for the engine to run periodically. After all, your car has an ICE. It needs to be used periodically.

 

[bobcubsfan]

Here are 2 stills and a video. The first still shows the car in EV mode. The video shows the transition from EV to ICE. The second still shows the car is no longer in EV mode.

 

[KentuckyKen]

Bob, I believe you. Your car has something different or wrong with it compared to our normal ones. But it’s not throwing any error codes so the dealer says it’s fine. I would be extremely frustrated at this point as I know you must be.
I’d document everything just in case you have to use your state’s lemon laws.
Hope you can get some traction on this.

 

[bobcubsfan]

Waiting for call back from Honda corporate. I think the "brain" in the car should be replaced.

 

[loomis2]

And you have all that ev range it is showing, too. My Clarity hasn't shown above 44 miles ev range yet but my engine rarely comes on. You are also showing only 200 miles hv. Did you get the hv range update already? If you haven't that would also be weird.

 

[bobcubsfan]

And you have all that ev range it is showing, too. My Clarity hasn't shown above 44 miles ev range yet but my engine rarely comes on. You are also showing only 200 miles hv. Did you get the hv range update already? If you haven't that would also be weird.

Yes I got the HV update.