My terrible morning with the Clarity

[Conelite]

I did some research and most websites say the same thing. You must have some extra info I can't find.

It's literally on the Honda Website that I quoted above. 212hp. I just added the C&D article as a second reference

Honda Website must be incorrect. I understand drivetrain loss but who knows. There is some grey area for sure.

 

[Landshark]

Again, my focus here is to help you understand how the electric motor outputs 181hp. The battery alone cannot provide sufficient electrical current to produce 181hp. Additional current is required from the engine/generator to reach that figure.

I really couldn’t give two shakes as to how or why Honda claims total system HP of 212.

 

[TC1782]

There should still be ~100 HP of power available, even with 0 bars (this has been my experience, even with no battery at all I can still maintain 70mph with ease, even up an incline, and merge), I wonder if when people report "no power" they are backing off the gas pedal due to the sound of the engine.

 

[Landshark]

There should still be ~100 HP of power available, even with 0 bars (this has been my experience, even with no battery at all I can still maintain 70mph

The ~100hp engine can propel the car in 2 ways. One is Direct Drive or Engine Drive Mode. This can engage at speeds above 45mph when minimal power is required. Just a guess, I’d estimate 30-40hp max. It takes about 30hp to go 70mph in the Clarity and I’ve seen EDM engaged up to 85mph.

The engine can also drive a generator which is capable producing sufficient current to provide 60hp to the electric motor. Keep in mind that with a depleted battery, 2 bars or less, some of that current may be utilized to maintain or charge the battery while the remainder is used by the electric motor. The best case scenario is that 60hp would be available.

My experience pushing the car through some mountainous terrain with 2 bars on the battery gauge is that it behaves like a 50-60hp vehicle. FWIW: I never saw less that 2 bars on the gauge while I owned the car.

 

[leop]

Only accounting for the force of gravity pulling a Clarity PHEV downhill on a 6% grade (not including drag from tires or the air), it takes about 42 hp for a half loaded (4400 pounds gvw) to climb a 6% grade at 60 mph. I estimate that the power to overcome air and tire drag at 60 mph to be about 19 hp (this is consistent with Landshark's 30 hp at 70 mph). Thus, a Clarity PHEV can barely climb a 6% grade at 60 mph if the motor-generator powertrain produces 60 hp as Landshark said.

Leop

 

[Miles777]

As the Clarity battery ages it loses the ability to deliver full power. I had a 2018 base model with almost 100K miles that would exhibit similar behavior if I let it run down the battery while driving fast on the freeway. It’s a serious flaw in the otherwise wonderful Clarity design. A year ago I traded the 2018 in on a 2020 model with only 25K miles and I no longer have this problem. But I sure wish the HV mode could be made to be the default upon startup.

 

[jazdean]

I've owned the Clarity since 2018 and I know better, but today I screwed up royally.

I begin my 38 mile commute on a full battery. Everyday, I go 20 miles and then switch to hybrid driving. Well, today for the first time, I forgot to hit the hv button and terror followed.

I'm driving along as normal going 75 on the San Diego freeway, when I heard the gas engine kick in with a roar, while my power plummeted. I look at the battery strength and I see 1 bar. It almost never has gone below 2.

I quickly click HV Charge to try and get some more battery and power. I slow to 40mph and put on my hazards. Of course, a steep freeway hill is approaching. I barely make it over the hill with the engine roaring and going only 15mph. The 1 bar from earlier is now gone- zero bars.

I barely make it to the side of the freeway with cars racing past me. It took 20 minutes of idle charging to get to 3 miles of ev. I then made it to work.

The car was bricked. Don't forget to hit that hv button, guys. With some really crappy luck, it could be your last mistake!!!!

I can't fathom how there is no way to prevent this from happening if you forget to hit the button, besides driving in HV always. Maybe I need to always start in HV and end ev. I'd have to forget twice to lose power - initially to start the trip and again after 30 miles or so.

I also own a 2018 clarity in the seattle area. I always drive in EV mode but when I have to go farther than the 40 or 45 miles on the battery, it just shifts imperceptibly into HV. When I need more power, such as going over Snoqualmie pass, it will shift into HV mode, running 100% on the ICE, and yes, it is buzzing like angry bees, but it works fine. I have never had to remember to hit the HV button at a certain point. The car has software that uses a combination of the battery and ICE plus generator to drive the electric motors that turned the wheels. The relative amount depend on the demand and driving conditions. I think you may have a bug in your software or your combustion engine is not delivering sufficient power to the generator.

 

[jazdean]

I've owned the Clarity since 2018 and I know better, but today I screwed up royally.

I begin my 38 mile commute on a full battery. Everyday, I go 20 miles and then switch to hybrid driving. Well, today for the first time, I forgot to hit the hv button and terror followed.

I'm driving along as normal going 75 on the San Diego freeway, when I heard the gas engine kick in with a roar, while my power plummeted. I look at the battery strength and I see 1 bar. It almost never has gone below 2.

I quickly click HV Charge to try and get some more battery and power. I slow to 40mph and put on my hazards. Of course, a steep freeway hill is approaching. I barely make it over the hill with the engine roaring and going only 15mph. The 1 bar from earlier is now gone- zero bars.

I barely make it to the side of the freeway with cars racing past me. It took 20 minutes of idle charging to get to 3 miles of ev. I then made it to work.

The car was bricked. Don't forget to hit that hv button, guys. With some really crappy luck, it could be your last mistake!!!!

I can't fathom how there is no way to prevent this from happening if you forget to hit the button, besides driving in HV always. Maybe I need to always start in HV and end ev. I'd have to forget twice to lose power - initially to start the trip and again after 30 miles or so.

Analysis from Claude: I did not know this but it explains your experience I think.

"The Honda Clarity PHEV is not a “parallel hybrid” in the traditional sense — it operates primarily as a series hybrid (generator mode), which means the gas engine’s role and the power delivery differ depending on the mode.

Battery-only (EV mode)
The electric motor delivers its full rated output — 121 kW (162 hp) — directly to the wheels. This is smooth, immediate torque with no lag.

Gas engine only / charge-depleted mode
Here’s where it gets nuanced. The 1.5L Atkinson-cycle ICE is not directly connected to the wheels in most driving situations — it runs as a generator to produce electricity, which then powers the electric motor. The system’s net output in this mode is lower: Honda rates the Clarity PHEV at 103 hp on gas alone (in generator mode).

Combined (both working together)
When the battery has charge and the engine is also running, the system can draw on both simultaneously for a combined output — Honda quotes 212 hp total system output.

So in short: pure EV feels stronger and more responsive, pure ICE (generator mode) is noticeably less powerful, and the sweet spot is having battery charge available so the two work together."