The Honda Clarity PHEV does have one-pedal driving!
- Thread starter Tiralc
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WadeTyhon
Well-Known Member
Awesome! I know right? It just makes driving more pleasant.
Especially if you have a commute that is mostly stop and go like I do.
I hope Honda takes this car seriously. Owners are loving it and I see great potential for it!
Tiralc
Active Member
Maybe a little less (80%?), but not much, been driving Gen 1 and Gen 2 Volts for 3+ years, mostly in L. On the other hand, it's the closest a Clarity can get.
Ironically, after touting the benefits of one pedal driving in L for years, many at the Volt group have been arguing, especially since Gen 2 came out, that Volt D is more efficient. I may have to consider normal or eco mode, but the one-pedal driving habit is a hard habit to break.
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JyChevyVolt
Active Member
I use L only when I'm stopping. Seem to improve efficiency since I get around 46.5 miles (2013 Volt) on a single charge.
You can set the Clarity display to show real time efficiency. It's under menu, info, trip ???. The most efficient method is tapping the break first and then pulling the paddle shifters to 4 chevron.
You can set the Clarity display to show real time efficiency. It's under menu, info, trip ???. The most efficient method is tapping the break first and then pulling the paddle shifters to 4 chevron.
FrameFlipper
New Member
I own the Touring variant which includes Sport mode. After selecting that mode, I add full regeneration and brake hold for general city driving.
(These selections persist unless I engage the full-range adaptive cruise control -- which, while well implemented, is most useful for highway and urban stop-n-go situations.)
The above Sport-mode configuration provides less regen than the Leaf 2 ePedal experience, but it’s plenty adequate for non-aggressive urban commuting. I use the brake mostly for transitioning from crawl to full stop.
(These selections persist unless I engage the full-range adaptive cruise control -- which, while well implemented, is most useful for highway and urban stop-n-go situations.)
The above Sport-mode configuration provides less regen than the Leaf 2 ePedal experience, but it’s plenty adequate for non-aggressive urban commuting. I use the brake mostly for transitioning from crawl to full stop.
Sport mode makes it easier to engage the engine, it still won't engage regularly unless you request power with the go pedal in excess of what the EV will provide. It is easy to drive around in Sport and not engage the engine.
Several edits:
Again, watch the tach like needle around the edge of the instrument cluster, if that extends past the blue range the engine will start. Also, stabbing the go pedal quickly will almost certainly make the engine start in any mode.
Even yesterday, the engine never started on me and the high was 12 F. It was easy to accelerate briskly. I just use Eco mode mostly now, as that is what my wife likes and it stays in that mode. However, I tried sport for a while as well and that was fine and still no engine starting. Sometimes you lose your regen setting, I think on highway when cruise is engaged and maybe while reversing? Haven't totally figured it out yet.
Several edits:
Again, watch the tach like needle around the edge of the instrument cluster, if that extends past the blue range the engine will start. Also, stabbing the go pedal quickly will almost certainly make the engine start in any mode.
Even yesterday, the engine never started on me and the high was 12 F. It was easy to accelerate briskly. I just use Eco mode mostly now, as that is what my wife likes and it stays in that mode. However, I tried sport for a while as well and that was fine and still no engine starting. Sometimes you lose your regen setting, I think on highway when cruise is engaged and maybe while reversing? Haven't totally figured it out yet.
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dstrauss
Well-Known Member
As a reformed Prius junky, regen is important to a battery that only provides swing power (especially low speed and at idle), but I just don't see much to be gained in EV with regen
Tiralc
Active Member
yes, I saw that too. I think anytime you engage cruise control (ACC), it knocks off any previous manual sport regen level. Although I think (?) we only get to select levels 2-4, with level 1 always on by default (?).
I thought it was going to be incredibly painful to give up sport regen 4 "M" (I think M is for manual (?)), however withdrawal wasn't so bad. Now I'm mostly playing in neutral or eco, and running the regen paddles on occasion for fun. Also, the only use I have found for the down regen selectors (reducing the selected level) is going down a steep hill, you can adjust the coasting speed by toggling up and down. Otherwise, not sure what down ("+") is useful for?
The blended braking is so well done, I'm not sure what the regen selector paddles give over careful use of the brakes (other than an entertaining diversion)?
Regen is important to recover the energy spent from moving the extra weight of the hybrid system. Without it you would take a loss from the extra weight, especially around town. Highway weight is less important.
dstrauss
Well-Known Member
I have been watching my range gauge while using regen, and it might put 0.1-0.2 mile on the range, that almost immediately disappear when accelerating from stop (and I am pretty light on the accelerator).
loomis2
Well-Known Member
Today I had a chance to drive my wife's Clarity for a while. I tried the adaptive cruise to a complete stop along with Lane Keep Assist on a busy four-lane-plus-middle-turn-lane type street, which worked great. I also tried Sport with level 4 regen for the first time on the same road, which was way more fun. I could see myself driving that way on everything but the highway for sure.
The Clarity with the strongest regen selected is nowhere as strong as the Volt, Bolt, or i3. I really liked the i3 one-pedal power delivery and control. The Clarity does require more time/distance estimation for a one-pedal operation. Compared to the i3 which had regen that was strong enough that they designed it to turn on the rear brake lights...
So that brings up a question, does the strongest regen mode on the Clarity cause brake lights to illuminate?
So that brings up a question, does the strongest regen mode on the Clarity cause brake lights to illuminate?
That's a great question, but I'd assume not due to the light regen even at high settings. It was one of the first questions I asked when we got our Model S. The answer there was yes, but the regen on the Model S is far greater than the Clarity, even at the Clarity's highest setting. So with the Tesla, you really need the brake lights to come on since that car really can be used in a one pedal manner.
dstrauss
Well-Known Member
I know all of these technical issues are important to us enthusiast, but if you are really trying to wean people off of ICE by at least commuting under EV only, shouldn't they focus on driving just like climbing into your garden variety Accord? The EV community, including sites like Green Car Reports, should be focusing on this, not criticizing the Clarity for its lack of hypermiling chops!
Tiralc
Active Member
I've been meaning to check, with Volt Gen 2, I just used a dimly lit neighborhood road and looked in the rear view mirror. You could easily see the brake lights lighting up the reflective signs in the rear view mirrors.
I've never driven an i3, heard that regen can be very strong (and that the brake lights come on with regen). As a former driver of both gen 1 and gen 2 Volts (owned both), while not as strong, the effect is definitely there, if you don't need crazy wild driving. I found no problem at all doing one-pedal driving in Sport regen 4 M. (that said, the Clarity, nor the Volt can perform like a Tesla) Most of the time Volt and Clarity, I feather the pedal accurately and gently by habit now. Little economy is to be had by use of choppy motions. For many, rather than natural, one-pedal driving is taxing and choppy (some say their passengers don't like it, which probably says more about technique than one-pedal driving).
I find I am moving towards Clarity normal mode now, playing with the regen paddles more. As I recall, Volt only coasts in "D" and has no regen by go pedal, and relies on use of the blended braking for regen driving. By contrast, I think we (Clarity PHEV) always have level 1 regen in D (very light), which can than be temporarily increased to levels 2-4 as desired by use of the regen paddles (and manually set and held in Sport, except for in ACC, yet anther topic).
Also, ironically, there was a strong trend in the Volt community of recent years going back from one-pedal driving in L to D as to economy and efficiency. So, getting used to driving in Clarity normal or eco with a regen level of 1 may well be a nice middle ground (compared to coasting).
The point of the original post was so that Volt drivers could easily try a "similar" technique in the Clarity by use of Sport 4 "M".
Honda has done a suberb job in implementing blended braking (you can watch it working in real-time on the driver power curve display) to blend electromagnetic regen braking finally into friction braking. The Clarity can be very competently driven by accelerator and brake pedals alone.
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Tiralc
Active Member
dstrauss is absolutely correct, this discussion is for EV techies. Any reasonably competent driver can just hop in, press start, and drive away in D, comfortably using using just the accelerator pedal and brake. Use of the regen paddles is optional.
WalksOnDirt
Member
No, my understanding is the Volt works the same way as you describe the Clarity.