EV Ramblings - 2018 Honda Clarity PHEV Driving Reaction
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 1 июл 2018
- Please subscribe!
This is my full driving reaction from the 2018 Honda Clarity PHEV. Thanks to Campus Honda and Honda Canada for arranging me to borrow a press vehicle for an afternoon. 
Животные
Thanks for the video! I've had my 2018 Clarity since April of last year. 40 000km/26 000 miles or so and all but 7000km/4500miles on EV! My EV costs are down to 1.8 cents per km, and about 6.0 cents per km on Hybrid with a drained battery pack. Great car! Would so buy one again! Oh, also my non-ICE-related maintenance costs? $159 for a "brake inspection." Love it. Good luck with the channel! -Brad
We finally got our Clarity and just in time for the Ontario rebate. Absolutely love the car. Appreciate all the information in your videos.
Janice Craig thanks! Enjoy the vehicle :)
Before you leave Victoria, you press the HV button which puts the car in Hybrid mode where the car will decide if it will do EV or Hybrid as it see fits. ECON, SPORT mode can run in either pure EV driving mode or Hybrid driving mode. When you stop the car before you turn around to take pictures then you start the car, the car will default in EV driving mode unless it runs out of battery, you press the accelerator pass the 'detent' or you press the HV mode.
You seem pretty knowledgeable and I've found this comments section more valuable than any Clarity forum I've come across so far, so I'll go ahead and ask a question. When would I want to turn the HV mode on? What is it Useful for? I seem to be missing a critical piece of the puzzle.
I am an engineer so my answer may be too much for some of you .
A car currently have no idea where you are driving to (what terrain you will encounter) nor how long you will be driving. The Clarity is different from most Hybrid or Plug-in Hybrid in that the EV motors are designed as the main driving force and the engine is for charging the battery or directly engaging the wheels in flat terrain and constant speed. You can't really expect the 1.5L engine to drive this 4000+ lb car going up the mountain and not have any consequences (like high loud whinning).
Simply put, if you total driving distance exceeds the EV range and it involves highway driving, you put it in HV once you are on the hightway and the car will use the motor and the engine as it see fit and you won't have the high whining sound problem from the engine as there is enough battery and power to do almost anything including going up a mountain. When you get off the highway, switch back to EV mode by pressing the HV button again (note the engine will stay on until the engine has reach operating temp if you have a short highway drive).
Check out insideevsforum.com, the Clarity forum is one of the most active and many people contribute and will answer most of your questions.
You would use the HV mode for long highway trips, and really, that's about it. First, obviously, you can only go 47 miles all electric. But also, electric isn't really the most efficient way to cruise at 70 mph; that's a good scenario for the HV mode finding the most fuel efficient mix while retaining some electric charge. For all your cruising around town, stop and go driving, EV is what you'll use. Unless you exceed 50 miles a day you'll simply never need to use gas.
Everybody's review of this car is in pure EV mode. You're the only fool smart enough to show everyone how HV mode behaves. You're also the only one calling out Honda's brochure for being misleading. Thank you for sharing your folly.
Dustiin, I own a Clarity and have watched lots of reviews, and yours is actually one of the most informative. Your mode confusion, although it frustrated you, really made the point about the car and what it can do. You can run full electric, as you discovered, but if you do run in HV mode, which you'll have to do for long trips, you still get phenomenal gas mileage. Watching you think your way through how the car works is actually kind of fun, and in the end you get it right.
Thanks for taking the time to write comments Bill, I really appreciate it!
I think ive watched every clarity video i could find and i caught this one a second time 2 days ago. Now we own a touring clarity, a used, certified one with 1840 miles on it for a deep discount. I think this video pushed me over the edge. Unbiased and honest. He explains the driving modes by trying to figure them out. My test drive was consumed by playing with drive modes and i understood them, thanks. And i think you like the car. I do too.
Thanks for taking the time to write a thoughtful comment! This car really did surprise me, and I would own one in a heartbeat. Welcome to the electrified world :)
I hope potential buyers aren’t turned away from this car because of the beginning of video
Also between Clarity PHEV and Outlander PHEV - which one do you prefer more. Thanks a ton for your input!
OK that's a very tough question. I would probably choose a Volt over both of those, but if I was just deciding between the Clarity and the Outlander, my heart tells me to go with the Outlander just because I love the idea of having a bigger vehicle to go on my camping trips, dirt road adventures, etc. But, the biggest issue is the 35 to 40 km range the Outlander has. The Clarity basically doubles that all-electric range, so if you are doing more than 30 km a day of driving between charging, than the Clarity is probably a better choice. From a usability standpoint, I really liked the Outlander..
Thanks a lot!
After owning the Clarity for about a week, it starts off in non HV mode by default if it has enough charge left, so you def pushed it right in the beginning. That being said, I can't blame you, the Honda engineers/designers didn't really make this as user friendly as the GM products and this car could have been a bit more "EV" centric.
Thanks for the comments!
@@DustinBatchelor No worries, when's the next video coming out? A slew of EV's and PHEV's have hit the market and would like your take on it. Also L, would like an update if you'll sell your Bolt because of the recalls
@@naughtysauce4323 I'm editing my next video now but it's an efficiency test with towing with my Bolt. The next vehicle I'm probably driving is the Polestar 2, but I'm trying to get into any of the new EVs. Having a hard time convincing dealerships and manufacturers to help me out. I thought i had the Mach E lined up but the dealership decided it was too much risk. I think it's mostly that new cars are hard to come by right now and they'd rather just sell the little inventory they have rather than let me borrow it for half a day. The cars I've confirmed should happen in next few months include: Polestar 2, ID.4, and Ioniq 5.
@@DustinBatchelor Yes, with the lack of inventory a lot of YT channels are getting hit with no cars to review unless they are at a press event. Cars are selling as soon as they hit the lot and they will not hold a car just so someone can do a review on it. My suggestion is if you're willing to invest a little is renting these cars on sites like Turo, I don't know if there's a Canadian equivalent. If you can, a Rav 4 Prime is excellent, I would have bought one, but with dealers marking them up, I couldn't pull the trigger.
@@DustinBatchelor I would like to see that ID4 video, personally when I test drove it, was not impressed.
Between this Clarity and i3 - which one did you like more. Thanks!
I like the performance of the i3, but I think for a car I would live with, I would choose the Clarity over the i3.
Clarity all day. I3 is like a toy car.
I wish I could put the GM mindset and powertrain into the Clarity. I love mine, but it lacks pure EV power without the assistance of the ICE generator, not to mention if you push pass the detente at the bottom of the accelerator pedal, it will automatically turn on the ICE as well which defeats the entire purpose of the pure EV "mode". I also am not a fan of the way Honda calculates its power delivery, I much prefer the KWH expended in the GM products, also unless I've missed, but there is no time remaining till charge is done on the Clarity.
You needed more time with the car, the sport mode is really worth a test, you can adjust the regeneration it stays put until you change it and the acceleration might be more to your liking.
Yes, it's definitely capable of pushing you into your seat. I doubt I'll ever use it, but the power is there if needed.
yes love the Sport mode!
Can you test EMF level on Clarity?
One more comment, unlike the Nero Hybrid, this car will run the heat and A/C in full EV driving and not turn on the engine, I test drive this car in Jan when it's -14C at 105km/h and the engine did not turn on
D Ting thanks for the info!
You are welcome and I finished the video and realized you figure out the driving mode yourself later in the video
Oh, I considered the Nero before settling on Clarity and did not know that. Thanks for that info.
Lol, this "WTF is this car doing!" has been exactly my experience. The driving modes are confusing AF at first. Luckily, in the end in order for the car to do what you want you just need to get in and drive (the car remembers if you had the econ mode on).
Also weird, unintuitive, and backwards is the placement of the Reverse button above the Drive button. I've been driving the car for a week and I still need to look down because after putting the car in reverse I want to go forward now, so my fingers instinctively move up. Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but it's really annoying at first.
Confusing interface aside, the underlying technology seems solid, the car is quiet and handles beautifully, and I'm already seeing huge efficiency gains over my previous all-gasoline car. I'm more than willing to put up with inexplicable design decisions.
I have my Clarity for 3 weeks and I have done some calculation. If I drive 20,000km (12,500 miles) a year. I will save about $1500-$1800 compare to my old Hyundai Elantra just on fuel saving along (YMMV depending on you gas and electricity price).
And you are right, Honda has designed this car so you can just drive this car like a normal car (except you plug it in at night) if you want but if you want to maximize your saving (isn't that why you buy this car), you should learn about the best weay to drive this car properly by reading the manual and visiting forum like 'insideevsforum). DO NOT listen to most reviews (both print and video) or even most dealers (most have no idea what this car is about and from experience myself and others, dealer information are usually wrong for this car) as you do need to spend some time to understand this car.
If you are checking out this car, make sure the car's battery is charged before your test drive. Or conversely as happened to my friend (the car was not charged at all), when we test drove the car, I told her that this is the noisiest and under power it will get and her experience with the car will vastly improve for every % of battery she put into the car
The should have mounted it on the lower dash like normal gearshifts. Then R being forward is like everyone is used to.
All I could think about is how hot it must be, TURN ON A/C
Yes it was stinking hot, but I needed to save that electricity! :)
Unfortunately Honda Canada 🇨🇦 doesn’t have much consideration for Canadian customers in contrary of Honda USA 🇺🇸 which offer them all the bells and whistles... As an example don’t expect memory seats on your Touring model and be ready for a very limited choice of colours exterior and interior... As much as I love this car, these small but important frustrating details will make me reconsidering my choice...
We get the battery pack heater in Canada though.
Biggest mistake is not making this a hatchback
How much did you pay for your car out the door?
Hi there, I don't own a Clarity, Honda Canada let me use their press vehicle for the day.
I payed 32,00 . I comes with stuff I don't care for propack and csg alarm. Out the the door with tax and fee it was 35,500. With Federal and State rebates it will be 24,500.
Looks like the closet to a volt i've seen.
I owned a volt for 7 years now and in still confused.i will not buy anything that plugs into the wall
Maybe you should try a full battery electric. They are infinitely more simple compared to a combustion
Why I currently have a Ford Cmax energi and just traded (pending transfer) for a Honda Clarity. I would only own a PHEV. Please explain.....
:D (Y)
I would only be interested in Sport mode... and you didn't even mention it.
Uses both gas/electric motor to create more power. I've never seen the use for it. I actually wish Sport mode was electric only but the electric motor by itself is pretty weak.
Okay bud, I appreciate you trying to make this video but plz educate yourself a little on what the options are first..
Thx for the effort though.
Thanks for the comments! As this is a driving reaction video, I am trying to recreate what anyone might be like stepping into the car for the first time. I would say the fact I struggled so much in this car is a good indicator that it wasn't designed well. This is one of my older videos and I did adjust my style after getting feedback on this video.
The power train of the Clarity is complex. Regardless of modes, the battery pack provides enough instant juice to power the 180hp electric motor up to 120 HP. Any power requirement above 120 hp up to 180 hp engages the engine in serial mode (using up to 60 hp as a generator to assist the battery in powering the electric motor immediate electricity needs). Between 180hp & 212 hp (higher speeds) the engine couples and provide its remaining 40 hp directly to the drive train (parallel mode) for a total combined power of 212 hp.
Modes: ECO modulates regen & throttle and maybe climate system and other accessories. EV is self explanatory (no ICE use unless power needs exceed 120hp or battery pack is empty). HV forces the system in hybrid mode to preserve the state of charge of the battery and saving it for later. Pressing & holding HV for a few seconds will force the ICE in battery charging mode.
HV=hybrid vehicle. Gas and electric.
Mark PHEV - Plug In Hybrid Electric Vehicle
I was actually referring to the HV button. Makes the vehicle act like a typical hybrid vehicle.Runs on gas and electric. I could be wrong though.
Mark haha ok that makes sense! Sorry about that, but I keep fighting with people about terminology :)
I've driven this a few time and it is a bit confusing. I believe Eco and sport are full electric, EV is gas and electric (hybrid) and if you hold the EV for a few seconds it goes into full ICE for charging and conserving the battery. Possibly for long trips.
Print as PDF
What’s the Benefit?
The Clarity Plug-In Hybrid’s available drive modes can enhance efficiency as well as help provide greater driving satisfaction.
The Features:
The Clarity Plug-In Hybrid gives drivers the ability to change the vehicle’s drive modes to suit driving conditions-or just to make it more fun.
Pushing the ECON button maximizes battery-only driving-unless the accelerator is floored, which will engage the gasoline engine for added responsiveness.
Selecting the Sport mode puts both the engine and electric motor to work at the same time, perfect for when the driver desires spirited driving.
The HV button is designed for use during long drives at highway speeds, and gives the driver two choices:
With a short push of the HV button, the system will operate in the most fuel-efficient manner possible.
With a long push, the system uses the gasoline engine to power both the vehicle and the generator to recharge the battery.
Why don’t you use your mirrors like you’re supposed to stop twisting around like you do I’m a professional driver use your mirrors they are your best friend
Thanks for comments! I use my mirrors and check for blind spots. As you know, being a professional driver, that sock mirrors have blind spots. Modern cars have blind spot detector lights to indicate when someone might be in it, but you can't solely rely on that. What if one of those lights burns out and you don't know that is the case? I'd suggest that always checking for blind spots is far safer, so I won't be changing my behavior. Thanks for the suggestion though!
If your mirrors are adjusted properly you don’t have Blindspot’s and when you turn on the turn signals on the clarity there’s cameras attached to the mirror that shows Blindspot
@@ronaldfish1569 Well he's not a "professional driver" so get off your high horse. Take a driving exam without looking over when switching lanes and you're guaranteed to fail.
Dude, do your homework before you film. See Redline Reviews to see how to do a car review. Don’t waste our time..... look at your 50% negative review.
Thanks for the feedback! I try to make these videos "driving reactions" as a person stepping into the car for the first time, to give an idea what it is like - how easy to understand, etc. I could do a bunch of research of how to operate it, but then it just becomes a review.
@@DustinBatchelor Keep up the good work... I like your style of going into it without having read the entire manual. It's nice to get an impressions type of video along with more standard reviews from other channels.
My job offers level 1 charging for free and my work is only 4 miles away from me. I can run the car fully on ev mode. I dont mind when i dont have charge cause the car does get great mpg's.
Perfect setup!