So it's like a Prius, right?

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Kerbe

Kerbe

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I get a lot of questions about the Clarity, especially in grocery store parking lots when the AVAS is active. When asked what the Clarity is, I say that it's a plug-in hybrid that runs on both gasoline and electricity. The usual response is, "So it's like a Prius, right?"

I felt that I needed to come up with a sound-byte to explain the difference so I perused the forums and found that, from the postings, 9 out of 10 Clarity drivers are either engineers or armchair engineers - the conversation was dense and technical.

So I decided to think like a third grade teacher and here's the response I now give: "A Prius is a gasoline-powered car with an electric helper motor while a Clarity is an electricity-powered car with a gasoline helper engine."
 
But “100 mpg” is not true. It was actually closer to 30-40 mpg last time I tried HV mode when around 50% battery range, on relatively flat highway.

I would explain it as “yes, it’s like a Prius but with much larger battery, that can run 100% on battery.”
 
Hoon said:
But “100 mpg” is not true. It was actually closer to 30-40 mpg last time I tried HV mode when around 50% battery range, on relatively flat highway.

I would explain it as “yes, it’s like a Prius but with much larger battery, that can run 100% on battery.”
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Ah yes here is the complication when trying to figure out mpg of the Clarity. Bottom line is it's impossible. I do believe switching to a system of cost per mile is the only way we're going to sort this out.

If I were talking with someone about Prius vs Clarity I might try something like, "Cost per mile is about 1/2 of the Prius with a Clarity." But I do like Kerbe's response to the question.

Today I look back on the two Prius cars we've owned as old technology. I have often commented that the Synergy drive was a brilliant invention. But it's still a petroleum propelled car that has an efficient engine with a battery/electric assist.
 
Kerbe said:
A Prius is a gasoline-powered car with an electric helper motor while a Clarity is an electricity-powered car with a gasoline helper engine.
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Not bad, nice and simple. But I think you're selling the car short.

Driving a Prius under typical conditions, you'll use both the gas engine and the electric motor to propel the car above, say, 25 mph (40 km/h). And your description is quite accurate -- the electric motor is little more than a helper.

Driving a [>0 EV range] Clarity under typical conditions, you can reach 100 mph (161 km/h) using only the electric motor, with no help whatsoever from the gas engine. If your daily commute is <47 miles (as it is for ~80% of the US population), you can go months without the gas engine turning on. It doesn't really make sense to say the Clarity has a gasoline helper engine in this context, at least not when drawing such a close parallel with the Prius, where both motors are almost-always working together.

My proposal: "Whether commuting to work or on a cross-country trip, a Prius is a gasoline-powered car with an electric helper motor. When commuting to work, a Clarity is an electric car. On a cross-country tip, a Clarity becomes a Prius."

Not quite as pithy, but I think it gives the Clarity the 'green cred' it deserves :)
 
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Q: "So it's like a Prius?"
A: www.google.com

I say this because the few times anyone has asked me anything about my Clarity, their eyes glass over when I go into any technical detail. If they wanna find out, look it up on google.
 
I tell them you don't plug in a Prius, its battery gets charged by the gas engine. The Clarity has a larger battery that you charge by plugging in just like an electric car. You can drive it on battery power for about fifty miles at all speeds including on the freeway. If you go farther than that the gas engine comes on and then it works like a Prius. But if most of your driving is less than fifty miles you rarely use gas.
 
Coincidentally, a young lady working the Burger King drive-thru noticed the charge port on our Modelé H Citröen yesterday.

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Gave her a quick, “It runs on battery for about 50 miles, then switches to gas. Enough for most errands, then you can charge overnight it at home.” I have no idea if she even knew what a Citröen is.

As an aside, the “Impossible Whopper” is quite good, and a decent choice for vegetarians looking for fast food.
 
Tell them to do their own research:-)

Seriously, your initial answer helps contrast with the Prime.

But..one of the reasons EV vehicles don't have wider acceptance is that people take their transportation for granted. Gas is like the gift that keeps on giving- until it destroys the climate- and then it becomes personal but by then it is too late.

And even among Clarity owners, environmental concerns for many are quite secondary.

So my first reply has merit.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
 
Fast Eddie B said:
Coincidentally, a young lady working the Burger King drive-thru noticed the charge port on our Modelé H Citröen yesterday.... As an aside, the “Impossible Whopper” is quite good, and a decent choice for vegetarians looking for fast food.
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Are you me? Took my Clarity to Burger King and the girlfriend and I had fun watching an elderly couple walk around it pointing at all the fuel doors.

Not a vegetarian, but we bought one of each Whopper and cut each in half, and tried them in tandem. There is certainly some sort of difference, but I would say I preferred the Impossible... though not to the $1.40 extra it cost.
 
Not sure why Clarity owners get bent over people not knowing anything about the Clarity. Even the Honda sales reps don't know much about it. The Clarity Plug In is similar to the Prius Prime. I rarely get asked about my car because I live in an area that has some of the largest concentrations of EV's in the country plus many people just assume it's a Civic or Accord.

The few times I've been asked, I just say "it's a Plug In".
 
Rav said:
Not sure why Clarity owners get bent over people not knowing anything about the Clarity.
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Rav, I think it is just the opposite, so many of us get bent and twisted into nots ourselves, while trying to come up with a relatively simple, but still accurate explanation of how Clarity works, usually in response to a question by someone who approached us because they are curious about Clarity.

I usually just go with, It's an EV with its own on board electric generator which runs on gas. As compared to other hybrids, where the engine is primarily in the mechanical drive train, with an electric assist. (I usually avoid gear mode, but sometimes mention it as a slight exception.)
 
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The Clarity is a full sized Sedan. The Prius Prime is a Hatchback.
Both can run on electricity. 47 miles for Clarity. 25 miles for Prius Prime

Research and a good excel spreadsheet.

The Clarity costs more per mile than the standard Prius. But is more comfortable.


Clarity is not like the standard Prius tech wise. More like the Prius Prime (please don't kill me for saying that ) But the cost to run the Clarity (that is more of a full size sedan) will cost you less than the 0.60 per mile that the average sedan costs to run.
Different class of car.

Cost per mile on the standard Prius is about .46 per mile.

Clarity 110 MPGe. Prius Prime 133 MPGe. Prius. 53 mpg

Now here is where it gets interesting.

Cost per KWH. Mine cost is .169 under 600 kwh. And .269 over 600 kwh.

17 kwh @ .169 = $2.83
17 kwh @ .269 = $4.57

1 gallon of gas $2.57. (Michigan)

So if you dont have Solar Power (Sunk Cost ) you pay more for the electric power than the gas.

The Clarity is a cool car and is a pleasure to drive in EV.
Most people think of a car like an appliance. Drive from point A to point B. Don't care about the cars tech. They ask one question. How much does it cost.

Since I have driven the Clarity , Prius Prime and Prius extensivly. And people have asked me about each I have to say the Clarity is like an Accord for Comfort and the Prius is like the Corola for Comfort.

No one car is right for everyone.

My wife hated the Clarity. I liked it.
 
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