Official Honda Clarity FCEV/BEV/PHEV thread

[GRA]

Per IEVS, 1,935 Clarity PHEVs were sold/leased in the U.S. in October, plus 116 BEVs and an estimated 49 FCEVs.

[GRA]

Per IEVS, Nov. U.S. Clarity sales totaled 1,903, with PHEVs estimated to make up 1,857 and FCEVs nine, which if correct means that 37 would be BEVs.

[GRA]

IEVS:

Honda Clarity PHEV Review After One Year Of Ownership

https://insideevs.com/honda-clarity-phe ... ar-update/

[Bouldergramp]

According to Consumer Reports:


A Tale of Two Personalities
The plug-in hybrid Honda Clarity runs on electricity and gas, which results in two distinct driving experiences.

THE HONDA CLARITY works well in electric-only mode, but its loud gas engine and quirky gear selector and dashboard controls should give shoppers pause.

In electric-power mode, the car runs quietly and smoothly, providing quick acceleration, even when climbing hills. But if the driver punches the accelerator or when the vehicle switches over to gas-only because the battery is depleted, the four-cylinder engine awakens with a ruckus that’s strikingly loud.

In our testing, the car went 48 miles on electric power, almost matching the category leading Chevrolet Volt. The Clarity got 39 mpg overall on gas in CR tests. It has a mediocre combined range of a little more than 300 miles. (The car takes 2.5 hours on 240 volts and 12 hours on 120 volts to recharge.)

This four-door sedan has a comfortable ride, but handling is awkward because the body leans in corners and steering response is sluggish. It has more interior space than its rivals, but the front seat isn’t very supportive because of a short cushion and limited adjustability.

Controls are confusing, including the fussy push-button gear selector. The Clarity comes standard with forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, and lane-keeping assist. It uses a distracting video feed along the passenger side instead of a more effective blind-spot warning system that covers both sides.

HYBRID / PLUG IN HYBRID CARS: Honda Clarity
OVERALL SCORE 72

ROAD TEST SCORE 72

HIGHS

Acts as an EV for short distances, ride comfort, interior room

LOWS

Clumsy handling, front-seat comfort, confusing controls, noisy engine

POWERTRAIN

212-hp, 1.5-liter four-cylinder hybrid engine; continuously variable transmission; front-wheel drive

FUEL

48-mile electric range
39 mpg on regular fuel
PRICE AS TESTED $34,290

[DarthPuppy]

At 10 months of ownership, I have to 2nd IEVS assessment of best car I've ever owned. I had no idea about the noise cancellation. I will have to give Sport mode a try with the ACC as I've been irritated by how slow it recovers from a momentary slow up. And so far, the infotainment system has been the only buggy aspect I've encountered. The author has a little better improvement in gas consumption than me as I have eliminated about 75% of my gas consumption where he has shaved 80%. And yes, when the engine fully revs, it is distinctly loud - especially if you've gotten used to quiet EV driving. I haven't had any issues needing service, so maybe the author's experience of 3-4 service visits is due to him likely getting one of the first off the production line.

Consumer Reports seems a bit off on a few points:
- "...quirky gear selector and dashboard controls should give shoppers pause.... Controls are confusing, including the fussy push-button gear selector. " Really? They can't figure out how a push-button gear selector works? I don't find it quirky or fussy. Once you drive it more than 1 week, it is perfectly fine.
- "...but handling is awkward because the body leans in corners and steering response is sluggish." I haven't noticed any of these aspects. But I also do my driving on real roadways and don't do aggressive driving on test tracks to find the car's performance limits and measure that against others. If your driving is normal'ish, I doubt this would be an issue.

Both write-ups and I agree that more conventional blind spot assist with lights in the side view mirrors with buzzer and tactile feedback would be good. That does take some getting used to. I also would appreciate rear cross-traffic safety. One aspect where the side camera system shined for me was when I was preparing to make a right turn and a bicyclist was coming up on my right side - the camera helped me spot him. I'm not sure the blind spot systems would have detected that and provided timely warning.

The quality, size, comfort and efficiency for the price point is awesome. As with the IEVS author, I would also like a Tesla. But at $14k+/- savings, the decision for me is easy.

[GRA]

As is often the case, I think both reviews have validity within their respective spheres. For someone who mainly needs a car for daily A to B commuting or freeway droning, the Clarity is well-suited, and both satisfied owners (a self-selected group) and CR point out its suitability for those tasks. As DarthPuppy writes, those who are more likely to push the car (which includes most car enthusiast mag readers and some % of CR readers) are more attuned to driving dynamics and intuitive controls, and those issues are of higher priority. I read both types of mags, but definitely place a higher value on driving dynamics and controls than the A to B general public. Which is why I've never even considered a car like the Prius, which carries car as reliable, energy-efficient transportation appliance to the ultimate. Thus, while I appreciate the Clarity PHEV for what it is (a Prius Prime that provides more room for pax and somewhat better dynamics and NVH), I have no interest in driving or buying one.

[DarthPuppy]

Very well said.

[GRA]

IEVS:

Honda Clarity PHEV: Top 5 Dislikes: Video

https://insideevs.com/honda-clarity-phe ... kes-video/

Canadian owner, so some cold-weather stuff (no heated seats, small windshield washer reservoir) and a couple of others.

[GRA]

Per IEVS, Dec. and 2018 U.S. Clarity sales:

December 2018 Sales
Clarity BEV: 86
Clarity FCV: 1
Clarity PHEV: 2,770

2018 Sales
Clarity BEV: 948
Clarity FCV: 624
Clarity PHEV: 18,602

Read somewhere the 2018 FCEV has been out of production for a while, and they're waiting for the 2019s to get here.

Also IEVS:

EV Comparison: 3 Flavors Of Honda Clarity: PHEV, BEV & Fuel Cell

https://insideevs.com/ev-comparison-honda-clarity-phev/

[DarthPuppy]

Starting next week, it looks like I will have workplace charging available. With that, I think I will be able to get my gas reduction vs. my prior ICE from 75% to 90%+.

Had this been an option when I was shopping, this change would have made the 2018 Leaf very viable for my commute. I'd probably have gotten the 2018 Leaf and not realized the Clarity was such a nice option as I only noticed and looked at the Clarity after concluding the 2018 Leaf range wasn't quite good enough. Charging infrastructure is important for BEV adoption.