New owner, some general questions

[Peter CC]

Regarding the paddle vs brake for deceleration, I have found (and I think I read somewhere) that the paddle and the brake are equivalent unless the vehicle is being commanded, via the brake pedal, to decelerate faster than the regenerative system can push energy back into the HV battery.

Here's my personal experience with a 2018 PHEV base model acquired in early December 2017. It has been driven mostly by wife as a commuter car to work, a 45 mile round trip on the notorious LA 405 freeway. She has zero patience with putting the vehicle into sport mode and do one pedal driving or anything of that nature. I encouraged her to brake early and lightly and the strategy seems to have paid off with respect to the brake pads. I took the vehicle for scheduled maintenance in July 2020 at 27,000 miles to my certified and friendly Honda dealer. When they returned the vehicle to me, the service clerk reviewed all the tasks performed and he told me there was 28 mm of front brake pad left. Apparently this is so much life left in the pad the technician thought we had replaced the pads!

We keep the vehicle in "econ" mode. When I'm trying to brake for max regen, I hit the pedal as lightly as possible and watch the "POWER/CHARGE Gauge". I try to brake such that white needle stays above the second charge notch. The kinetic energy of the vehicle increases as the square of the velocity. Dropping from 70 mph to 50 mph requires the vehicle to shed a lot more energy than going from 50mph to 30mph. You can observe this phenomenon by watching the white needle as you brake.

 

[60Hertz]

Here is the best explanation I have found for how the Clarity cabin heat system works:

https://carswithplugs.com/2018/03/17/electric-car-heaters-honda-clarity

Despite living in northern tier states my entire life, I hate being cold, so I am not going to freeze for sake of eeking out a few more EV miles. I preheat when I'm plugged in and then set it and forget it at 65F when I'm driving.

Cold weather also means snow, snow means salt, and I hate salt more than I hate the cold. Hand washing at home is not practical in sub-freezing weather, unless you have a heated garage (I do not), so commercial car washes are a necessity. I'm in the soft touch / soft cloth car wash camp. Touch free just doesn't get all the grime off. I don't trust just any car wash. I have a local place that I trust will not cause damage and purchase one of their unlimited wash packages for the winter months.

 

[Lex]

1. Less is more. Not only less mechanical resistance and tire deformation, but less distance at high wind resistance. But I try not to annoy those behind me.
2. The paddles and the foot at light pressure do the same thing
3. I'm in SoCal. Never use it
4. The paint does seem to swirl easy. Touchless advised.
Best car I ever owned. Never back to the dealer for any problem since purchase and get 50 mpg at constant 75 mph on the flat trip to San Diego and back.

 

[JCA]

I don't believe that the Clarity has a traditional heater core. I think that heat is always pure electric. When in HV mode the engine revs much higher when you crank up the heat.

The Clarity PHEV has both an engine-heat-supplied loop and a resistive-heater-supplied loop to heat the cabin (the BEV and FCV obviously don't have the engine loop). But if the thermostat calls for heat and the engine isn't warm enough it will use the resistive heat, which in HV mode will make the engine run faster to compensate for the load without losing range, but once the engine is warm it should stop using the resistive heat.

I saw one reddit report that in Econ+HV mode it might hold off requesting resistive heat, but can't confirm that. I know that in Econ EV mode I feel heat even before leaving the driveway, even when I don't want it (like a pleasant 65 degree morning when I had the AC set to cool to 70 the day before). In Econ mode at least if you call for heat it will usually (always?) also turn on the driver's seat heater, presumably to make you set the temperature lower.

That leads to interesting efficiency strategies like if you know you'll need engine range sometime during the day and it's cold, best to use HV first thing to get engine heat. Or, the equally valid strategy of ignoring all the fiddling, just driving the car and being comfortable, knowing that no matter what you do this car is pretty darn efficient!

 

[ClarityBill]

best explanation I have found for how the Clarity cabin heat system works:

This article points out that "it switches to using the engine for heat at very low temperatures (less than 5F...)"

The Clarity uses the resistance heater, even when you are in HV mode. The engine has to use the generator to supply the electricity, it does not use the waste engine heat until temperatures are low. It is not just 'waiting for the engine to warm up'.

 

[MrFixit]

This article points out that "it switches to using the engine for heat at very low temperatures (less than 5F...)"

The Clarity uses the resistance heater, even when you are in HV mode. The engine has to use the generator to supply the electricity, it does not use the waste engine heat until temperatures are low. It is not just 'waiting for the engine to warm up'.

This makes no sense to me. In spite of the way the article is worded, it seems to me that if you have a liquid coolant loop, and heater core in the vehicle - when the engine coolant reaches operating temperature (HV mode), the coolant loop will be heated by the ICE and therefore the resistance heater will not need to be engaged.

Do you have any other evidence to the contrary? I hesitate to interpret this article as literally as you imply.

 

[ClarityBill]

This makes no sense to me. In spite of the way the article is worded, it seems to me that if you have a liquid coolant loop, and heater core in the vehicle - when the engine coolant reaches operating temperature (HV mode), the coolant loop will be heated by the ICE and therefore the resistance heater will not need to be engaged.

Do you have any other evidence to the contrary? I hesitate to interpret this article as literally as you imply.

Just my experience with dramatically higher engine loads, exhibited by higher rpm, when using the heater.

It is nice to believe, and hope, that Honda has best utilized the available equipment, but reality may be that they did not. This article indicates they did not, and it would confirm my belief.

 

[ResilientMtl]

Hi,

I haven't seen these directly addressed.

1. In EV/eco mode, what acceleration behavior is best for efficiency? Like in traditional ICE cars, it can be beneficial in some situations to get into the higher gears faster. Is the Clarity at its most efficient with the least amount of throttle in EV mode?
2. Similarly, what kind of regen braking behavior is the most efficient? Is there any point to the paddles if you're not going downhill?
3. I'm hearing that the heater has pretty massive battery usage. How does it behave? Is it better to turn the climate control on/off as needed, or better to leave it as low as possible, but keeping it on?
4. What is best to wash the car, touchless machines? Anything else I should know about?

I might have more questions later, but thank you!

Hi Dislin, I've had my Clarity for several years and I at 70,000 km up in Canada.
1. This is about physics and battery drain, the slower you drain the battery the more efficient (in general) and since F = ma less acceleration needs less force which means less current. As there are no "gears" in a Clarity, the lighter you can be on the pedal the better.
2. Regen captures physical energy and transforms it into electrical energy; there are losses in each process (capture, store in battery, draw from battery) so while this does help efficiency, the most efficient thing to do is not use regen or the brakes. This won't work in real life, but trying to guess at the conditions ahead will help you get the most out of a charge.
3. What others say about the heat is bang on. I personally like to preheat in the winter, but my range can be as high as 88 km in the summer (on standard tires) and as low as 40 km in the winter (using heat, Bridgeston Blizzak tires, Quebec weather...i.e. really cold).
4. No comment on washing, I go to a touchless place in the winter to wash off the salt; no problems so far.

 

[ClarityBill]

2. The paddles and the foot at light pressure do the same thing

Even light foot pressure will activate the brake pads, the paddles never do.

When I get a little rust on the brake rotors, I can hear the pads rubbing even with the slightest pressure. There have been other reports of this.

"It is nice to believe, and hope, that Honda has best utilized the available equipment, but reality may be that they did not."

 

[Alex F]

Hi,

I haven't seen these directly addressed.

1. In EV/eco mode, what acceleration behavior is best for efficiency? Like in traditional ICE cars, it can be beneficial in some situations to get into the higher gears faster. Is the Clarity at its most efficient with the least amount of throttle in EV mode?
2. Similarly, what kind of regen braking behavior is the most efficient? Is there any point to the paddles if you're not going downhill?
3. I'm hearing that the heater has pretty massive battery usage. How does it behave? Is it better to turn the climate control on/off as needed, or better to leave it as low as possible, but keeping it on?
4. What is best to wash the car, touchless machines? Anything else I should know about?

I might have more questions later, but thank you!

 

[Alex F]

I often drive in Sport mode with the paddles "locked" at maximum recapture. Sport mode is the only way to keep the recapture on without having to paddle all the time. Sport mode give a little more peppy response. With the paddles locked on, each time I take my foot off the gas the battery recharges some. In this way I have been able to get as good or better EV mileage as in Eco mode but with better engine response. Also I like the drag on the car which saves me from braking as on curves etc. as much as I would without the drag.

 

[60Hertz]

Regen braking is not as good if the battery is very full and improves quickly as the first few bars come off the top. I'll charge to something less than full for short trips where max EV range is not needed. Target maybe 80-90 percent full (based on the Honda app indicator) using a timed charge schedule or just stopping the charge early. Then max regen is available during first part of the drive.

 

[Mass Clarity owner]

Hi. Bought a used 2018 Clarity base a few months ago. We love it. Use it almost entirely in EV mode as our daily driving is nearly entirely short trips.

In thinking about winter, we have always put snow tires on our cars (we live in Massachusetts) because we appreciate the extra assurance of traction on hills and in the snow generally. I have seen places in this forum where folks have recommended certain snow tires, but what is the best advice re: rim strategy? Put the snow tires onto the regular rims, and back, every year? or buy dedicated winter rims? (if so, is something lost without the special Clarity rims/rim inserts?)

By the way, we chose the Clarity for the great reviews it received, and also because we really valued the opportunity to do away with vehicle emissions. Anybody else feel strongly about that?

 

[insightman]

Hi. Bought a used 2018 Clarity base a few months ago. We love it. Use it almost entirely in EV mode as our daily driving is nearly entirely short trips.

In thinking about winter, we have always put snow tires on our cars (we live in Massachusetts) because we appreciate the extra assurance of traction on hills and in the snow generally. I have seen places in this forum where folks have recommended certain snow tires, but what is the best advice re: rim strategy? Put the snow tires onto the regular rims, and back, every year? or buy dedicated winter rims? (if so, is something lost without the special Clarity rims/rim inserts?)

By the way, we chose the Clarity for the great reviews it received, and also because we really valued the opportunity to do away with vehicle emissions. Anybody else feel strongly about that?

The thing that's special about the OEM Clarity rims is their resonators that supposedly reduce road noise.

Some people have had problems with non-Honda shops (eg. Costco) changing their tires and damaging these resonators. My solution was to have the dealer install some winter tires on the OEM rims and then when Spring arrived I purchased the Clarity accessory rims and put the original tires on those rims.

Some people on this forum advocate for skinnier winter tires, claiming they can get through the snow to the road more easily, but I don't believe that's a major factor. I believe that it's most important to have winter tires in the winter and the width makes little difference when compared with the lack of traction provided by all-season tires.

One problem with buying non-Clarity wheels is making sure you have the correct lug nuts for those wheels. Then there's the potential difference in the hub size--some wheels will require a ring to compensate for a larger hole in the middle. Then there's the diameter factor. You want the wheels and tires to end up with the same diameter as the OEM combo so the speedometer and odometer register correctly. Then there's the offset factor, which you can read about in other posts. I'm happy to have two sets of Clarity wheels and summer and winter tires that are the same size.

However, both sets of wheels are heavy and it's a pain to drag them up the stairs from where I keep them in the basement. I just bought one of those hand trucks with 3 wheels on each side so they can go up and down stairs. That should make the seasonal wheel-swap easier on my 71-year old body.

The Clarity accessory rims are a lot cheaper than the $1100 OEM rims, but they don't include the resonators (no big deal for me). I like their looks better than the OEM rims, so they're the ones that stay on most of the year. Here's what they look like on our car:

 

[PHEVDave]

I understand the principal of preheat for comfort and not jumping from your warm bed into a frigid car, but... It seems to me that kilowatts are kilowatts. From an efficiency / cost of operation, preheat doesn't save you anything. In fact, it probably costs more since you are heating an empty vehicle for a period of time.

That is probably true but some of us are not viewing it entirely from an efficiency/cost of operation standpoint. Some of us are balancing comfort and EV range against efficiency and cost.

 

[insightman]

From an efficiency / cost of operation, preheat doesn't save you anything. In fact, it probably costs more since you are heating an empty vehicle for a period of time.

For those of us whose priority is maximizing the Clarity PHEV's EV range, preheating the cabin makes sense, even though it increases our electric bills.

It would be interesting to learn from someone with a smart EVSE how much electrical power it takes to preheat the cabin.

 

[Mass Clarity owner]

The thing that's special about the OEM Clarity rims is their resonators that supposedly reduce road noise.
View attachment 10097

Some people have had problems with non-Honda shops (eg. Costco) changing their tires and damaging these resonators. My solution was to have the dealer install some winter tires on the OEM rims and then when Spring arrived I purchased the Clarity accessory rims and put the original tires on those rims.

Some people on this forum advocate for skinnier winter tires, claiming they can get through the snow to the road more easily, but I don't believe that's a major factor. I believe that it's most important to have winter tires in the winter and the width makes little difference when compared with the lack of traction provided by all-season tires.

One problem with buying non-Clarity wheels is making sure you have the correct lug nuts for those wheels. Then there's the potential difference in the hub size--some wheels will require a ring to compensate for a larger hole in the middle. Then there's the diameter factor. You want the wheels and tires to end up with the same diameter as the OEM combo so the speedometer and odometer register correctly. Then there's the offset factor, which you can read about in other posts. I'm happy to have two sets of Clarity wheels and summer and winter tires that are the same size.

However, both sets of wheels are heavy and it's a pain to drag them up the stairs from where I keep them in the basement. I just bought one of those hand trucks with 3 wheels on each side so they can go up and down stairs. That should make the seasonal wheel-swap easier on my 71-year old body.

The Clarity accessory rims are a lot cheaper than the $1100 OEM rims, but they don't include the resonators (no big deal for me). I like their looks better than the OEM rims, so they're the ones that stay on most of the year. Here's what they look like on our car:

View attachment 10098

-Thanks for the insightful information! -J.J.

 

[Dan Albrich]

When my Clarity was new I was a little afraid to go to car wash. I was thinking about the large traction battery, and it seemed that water being sprayed from every direction seemed to be questionable for an electric car. I got over this concern rather quickly, and mostly just treat it like a normal car. Anyway, I've done lots of different types of car washes including the ones with the 'high touch' cloth things that go all over your car.

I've never had any problems with car wash. The paint on my Clarity looks good to me, but I am also definitely not a perfectionist in this regard. There are no obvious imperfections in the paint-- since new Sept 2018. It's still a pretty new car, and the paint looks good to me.

FWIW: Where I live there is not a huge number of off-road trucks or disgustingly dirty vehicles using the auto-wash I usually visit.

 

[Danks]

For those of us whose priority is maximizing the Clarity PHEV's EV range, preheating the cabin makes sense, even though it increases our electric bills.

It would be interesting to learn from someone with a smart EVSE how much electrical power it takes to preheat the cabin.

I preheated for about 20 min and it took about 1.2 kWh from a ChargePoint L2 charger. In my case it was a free public charger so I got heat, range, and didn't add to my electric bill.

 

[Francofun]

View attachment 10119
This is my charge from yesterday morning. It was around 2C outside. The last ~25 minutes correspond to preheating the cabin. It did reach ~25C and was very comfortable.

The graph is unfortunately quite small and I did not look into exporting data from the EVDuty app... if anyone knows...


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