Just back from Arizona- some observations

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Dan Albrich

Well-Known Member
Trip report basically. Eugene Oregon to Tucson AZ, and back of course.

- I had asked the kind members of this group how Clarity would do in very hot place (and possibly a south facing garage). We were able to park in the driveway. The temps were basically 111 every day, with a low of 79 (south of Tucson). Car did fine in the heat. The AC running full-boar could not keep up. It does blow cold air, but not enough. Also the back seats get very little indeed.
- Gas mileage running AC full-boar all day every day, went lower than I'd seen before. A full tank of gas estimated about 265 HV miles, and only 20 EV miles (so 285 miles total). The car if plugged in will go to 40 EV miles, but we didn't do that. i.e. we use HV charge as needed.
- I bought a cheap Amazon Auto (we normally use Alexa/Echo at home for music). The device is bascially crappy, but given that you can buy it for $15 it is worth that price. Since I have tune-in linked, I can stream a radio station hands free anywhere I have cellular. While the Amazon Auto is bluetooth only (no WiFi), my phone would happily use the MiFi in the car and not cellular data provided the MiFi had signal.
- Wife and I drove more than 2800 miles. I find Clarity Touring seats comfortable, and the long trips are where I really use adaptive cruise control, and the only time I use lane-keep- assist.

Overall, delighted with the car. Minor knits- Wish the AC had more umph. I also wish the car had a 10 gallon tank instead of 7. i.e. the short gas range makes you stop too much on days doing 11 hours of driving. BTW we happened to also drive a 2016 Murano while visiting family. That car really kicks out the AC including for back seat. 111F was no problem for it. So one wonders if I have the condensor problem starting or simply need a recharge on my 2018 Clarity.
 
Dan Albrich said:
Trip report basically. Eugene Oregon to Tucson AZ.

- I had asked the kind members of this group how Clarity would do in very hot place (and possibly a south facing garage). We were able to park in the driveway. The temps were basically 111 every day, with a low of 79 (south of Tucson). Car did fine in the heat. The AC running full-boar could not keep up. It does blow cold air, but not enough. Also the back seats get very little indeed.
- Gas mileage running AC full-boar all day every day, went lower than I'd seen before. A full tank of gas estimated about 265 HV miles, and only 20 EV miles (so 285 miles total). The car if plugged in will go to 40 miles, but we didn't do that. i.e. we use HV charge as needed.
- I bought a cheap Amazon Auto (we normally use Alexa/Echo at home for music). The device is bascially crappy, but given that you can buy it for $15 it is worth that price. Since I have tune-in linked, I can stream a radio station hands free anywhere I have cellular. While the Amazon Auto is bluetooth only (no WiFi), my phone would happily use the MiFi in the car and not cellular data provided the MiFi had signal.
- Wife and I drove more than 2800 miles. I find Clarity Touring seats comfortable, and the long trips are where I really use adaptive cruise control, and the only time I use lane-keep- assist.

Overall, delighted with the car. Minor knits- Wish the AC had more umph. I also wish the car had a 10 gallon tank instead of 7. i.e. the short gas range makes you stop too much on days doing 11 hours of driving. BTW we happened to also drive a 2016 Murano while visiting family. That car really kicks out the AC including for back seat. 111F was no problem for it. So one wonders if I have the condensor problem starting or simply need a recharge on my 2018 Clarity.
Click to expand...

Do you have tinted windows? The best AC is only expected to cool 30 degrees. That’s the BEST. At those temps, you’re just never going to be cool.
My car routinely sits outside at 75-80F. When I go to precool it, my car’s interior temp shows 130F+ and my windows are almost blacked out, except for the windshield.
 
Boston_Pilot said:
Do you have tinted windows? The best AC is only expected to cool 30 degrees. That’s the BEST. At those temps, you’re just never going to be cool.
My car routinely sits outside at 75-80F. When I go to precool it, my car’s interior temp shows 130F+ and my windows are almost blacked out, except for the windshield.
Click to expand...

I agree functionally that the Clarity cooling is reasonable. However, the family had a Murano and a Dodge pickup. Both can cool the cab as completely as one would want. In the Clarity it was anemic, but if you were in the front seats and pointed vents at self, it's do-able.
And when I do have passengers (and we did) I point my vents up and over to give the back seat some minor relief. However, this combo seems to leave everyone uncomfortably hot.

So short of it is that on the surface I'd buy that you should not expect awesome cooling at 111F or more, but two other vehicles (and not as new as Clarity) dramatically out performed Clarity in this department. Luckily I live in Oregon, where Clarity's cooling is normally plenty adequate-- except Sunday this weekend where we saw 111F where I live (yep, a historical record).

PS: I do not have tinted windows. If I lived in AZ, I'd buy that.
 
We are going through a normal Redding CA summer with a few weeks of daytime highs from 100 to 115 or so. We keep the Clarity in a garage, not climate controlled but the car doesn't have the added heat of sun bearing down on it.

The AC has no trouble keeping up under these conditions. The car begins to significantly cool in less than a couple of minutes/miles from home.
 
jdonalds said:
The AC has no trouble keeping up under these conditions. The car begins to significantly cool in less than a couple of minutes/miles from home.
Click to expand...

Thank you for this jdonalds. I kinda sat there and wondered if my experience was "normal." I may be wrong, but when my Clarity was brand new, it seemed to have above average AC capability. I don't drive, in general, places with rock trucks (save AZ for a few days), so it seems less likely but not impossible to get hit with rocks. It's definitely possible and probable in the Tucson area. Just not where I live and drive 98% of the time. I have to go in for my normal oil change-- the A017 came up while on trip, and ask dealer about AC too.

-Dan
 
And now it’s 111 in Eugene. Coincidence?

We were on the Oregon coast for 10 days. Now, inland, it was over 100 all weekend, today it was near 115. The A/C is working like gangbusters. The wife usually dials down the fan after a mile or two. Maybe your A/C is starting to go south? We do have a 30% ceramic tint on everything except the windshield. To date, this car has one of the most impressive A/C’s I’ve ever had in a car. This may be the first time I’ve heard the battery cooling fans going full speed.

I’ve given up on tracking EV range or MPG until something abnormal occurs. Yes, a 10 gallon tank would be nice.
 
I’m in Palm Springs, california. I got my windows tinted as soon as I got the car. With the tint, the AC is fine. Not sure how well it would work out here in the desert without tint.
 
Phil_Meyers said:
We get 110 in Central CA here and haven't had any issue with the AC. I don't tint the windows.
Click to expand...

A good tint makes a noticeable difference. We recently had 4 skylights tinted on the house. The heat reduction is significant and the furniture will be spared the wrath of UV light.
 
Landshark said:
I’m almost always in Eco. The A/C always performs well. I’d suspect that Eco limits heat output more so than A/C output.
Click to expand...

Very well could be. I just remember seeing/reading that it "may reduce HVAC output" or similar so figured I'd throw it out there. In CT the A/C keeps up just fine if it doesn't have any leaks in the condenser...
 
JFon101231 said:
Very well could be. I just remember seeing/reading that it "may reduce HVAC output" or similar so figured I'd throw it out there. In CT the A/C keeps up just fine if it doesn't have any leaks in the condenser...
Click to expand...

You are correct... It would be interesting to know precisely what the mechanism is, but here is the relevant citation from the manual.
The wording is odd because it say "may" have reduced cooling performance.

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Dan Albrich said:
Thank you for this jdonalds. I kinda sat there and wondered if my experience was "normal." I may be wrong, but when my Clarity was brand new, it seemed to have above average AC capability. I don't drive, in general, places with rock trucks (save AZ for a few days), so it seems less likely but not impossible to get hit with rocks. It's definitely possible and probable in the Tucson area. Just not where I live and drive 98% of the time. I have to go in for my normal oil change-- the A017 came up while on trip, and ask dealer about AC too.

-Dan
Click to expand...
I would definitely check the condenser for excessive debris. Then also check the charge level. I live in Arizona and often see temps at 115 degrees but after a few minutes the car is very comfortable to me. But I can't vouch for back seats.
 
JFon101231 said:
Very well could be. I just remember seeing/reading that it "may reduce HVAC output" or similar so figured I'd throw it out there. In CT the A/C keeps up just fine if it doesn't have any leaks in the condenser...
Click to expand...

Econ definitely limits power consumption from the climate control system, if were to believe the manual. The analytical forum members have discovered that heating uses more power than cooling. Hence, my conclusion that reduced cooling might be less noticeable than reduced heating. Just a hunch.
 
Thanks for the great replies as usual. Love the community in this forum!

So sorry for the delayed reply. My pattern these days on any trip is to hit HV and Sport immediately, and every time I get in the car.
I gave up on ECON some time back. If I'm driving in-town, shorter distances, I drive in "normal" mode, neither econ or sport.
(I like sport mode generally, but if I'm just in-town, it makes it easier to accidentally kick on the gas engine which I don't want).

So ECON mode was never a factor. I do think my AC is anemic and may need some repair or recharge.
 
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