Has anyone tried towing with their Clarity?

Did you ever set up for trailer towing @Heino?

 

@insightman based on what you know, would you recommend I tow the trailer in HV mode then?
I'm currently traveling with "no choice" on Green/Efficient mode, assuming the car will switch to EV / Engine as needed. I also turn off Green mode on hills to give it a bit more power.
However, based on what you wrote -- which I barely understand -- it sounds as if on the highway at least, I should force it into HV-Engine Drive mode? Thanks!

 

Engine Drive Mode is so touchy that I doubt your Clarity would grant that mode if you were towing a trailer in HV. So I don't believe it matters which mode you select--the same electric motor is powering the car regardless of whether the battery or the engine is supplying the electricity.

Of course, your EV range will suffer with the added weight and aerodynamic drag of the trailer, so HV would make the most sense, as it always does for long trips. Remembering to activate HV after stopping is tough for me, so I have a paper sign I put over the D button to remind me.

 

Because of how we road trip I want the EV Range all for the last segment before we stop and charge for the night so I send my wife and son in to use the restroom and then I go in when they come out and leave the car “running” the whole time so you don’t get the erosion of EV range like you do when you shut it off. Of course this time won’t matter as the Clarity will be staying home and we will be trying the trip in our Niro EV.

 

What a PITA that is. I don't believe the amount of charge in the battery actually decreases when you turn off the Clarity PHEV, but getting a lower range number when you turn it back on is certainly an incentive to leave it on.

 

Over the 350 miles we seem to lose a mile or so each time we power cycled it depending on where it was charging the battery back up to original set point. I think it’s because each time I power cycle the % is always a little lower than last time

 

There is no appreciable erosion of EV range just by turning the car off and on. Very little power is needed to turn on a hybrid. What you may be thinking of are times when you had less than 3 EV miles and turned off the car, when you turn it on again suddenly you have 0 EV miles, making it seem like you lost a couple of miles just by turning the car off and on. But that's just one of the guess-o-meter quirks. While you are driving the display will show 0 EV miles when SOC drops down to around 10%. However for some reason when you turn off the car with less than 15% SOC, which is about 2.5 miles, the next time you turn on the car it will display 0 EV miles even though you still have say 14% SOC. My only guess why they do this is because they assume that if you just started your car and you have less than 15% SOC, then it will be probably be switching into HV mode in the first couple of miles, so they just go ahead and start it out in HV mode. That's just my guess anyway, trying to apply logic to some of the Clarity functionality only goes so far.

 

Each time you turn the car off and turn it back on and put it back in HV mode it resets the charge level that the car maintains so therefore you will erode the charge each cycle. I have a lot of experience with this, it’s not something bad but it is something you notice when you have a bunch of stops

 

Okay I get it now, you are talking about what we sometimes call the "HV set point", the SOC level that the car tries to maintain in HV mode. In "forced" HV mode, (when you reach 0 miles) the set point is 10% and the system tries to maintain that level of charge. When you are above 0 miles the set point is whatever the SOC was when you turned on HV. If you turn off HV then turn it back on again, the set point will often be a little lower than it was before. Some people including myself do this on purpose while driving if the engine gets a little noisy when it falls too far below the set point, which can happen especially in hills. This is often referred to as HV reset. We accept that there will be a a slight loss of EV range by doing this, but our goal is just to have some EV miles for the last segment of the trip, not necessarily a full charge, with drive enjoyment having at least a certain amount of weight in the equation. Also keeping in mind that the EV miles that you seem to lose by doing HV reset aren't really lost, as they are used to propel the car down the road in lieu of gasoline which is what they are there for, with the ultimate goal being that you end up with as close to 0 EV miles as possible when you reach your next charging opportunity, but also trying to avoid running out of EV miles prior to that.

Worst that can happen is that the EV range drops below 50%, because below that level you can use HV Charge to bring it back up to 50% if you want. But if 50% is not enough EV range for you for the last segment of your trip in terms of ride enjoyment then I guess in that case what you are doing is the only solution, although it seems to be a bit of a tradeoff as far as enjoyment to have to sit waiting in the car at each rest stop. At least it would be for me, but if you don't mind doing it then I suppose it's a workable solution.

 

I towed 4000lb really carefully on a hitch that is rated for 2000 lb (never accelerate or brake too hard)
also towed bulky wardrobes on flatbed 10x5 trailer(killing aero) witch were light less then total 2000lb. going 80 MPH drained the battery even in HV mode
once the battery depleted max speed was around 60mph but if you slowdown it recharges and can go fast again. STILL MORE FUEL EFISINT THEN ANY TRUCK!!!

 

I added an Echo hitch to our Clarity, and decided to install trailer wiring too (although I have other vehicles I use for towing). Next month we'll be driving to a wedding in southern California -- I wasn't sure if we could fit luggage for four people and the spare tire in the trunk, so I wanted to have our hitch-hauler as an option if needed. I may add trailer lights to the back of the hitch-hauler just to increase our visibility from behind.

Thanks, Steven B, for your wiring instructions and photos -- they made the task much easier. To potentially help others, I confirmed/completed the wiring information you provided.

On the vehicle left side:
Black: Ground
Blue-White: Left Turn
Green-White: Brake
Red: Tail Lights

On the vehicle right side:
Red-White: Tail lights
Green-White: Brake
Brown-White: Right Turn
Black: Ground

 

Unfortunately, no… still haven’t gotten around to this project. I have a renewed interest in this… and therefore, revisited this topic recently.

 

I've just installed the EcoHitch and harness to tow a small motorcycle trailer for my kids' 125cc dirt bikes.

I admit I know nothing about towing. I need the ball mount for it, but I have no idea what type and I could use some help choosing.

Also, when I go to UHaul to rent a trailer, it obviously won't let me book a trailer if I choose the Clarity, has anyone been able to successfully rent a trailer from them regardless?

 

Any recommendations for or against any installers in the Austin, TX area? That "ecohitch" seems to be the one to get, but I'm paranoid about somebody bad at their job effing up my car during the install.

 

@petteyg359 Not sure this will ease your worries, but I followed these instructions and it turned out perfect. I have ZERO experience working on cars / mechanical stuff, and it was very doable, you just have to be patient and take your time.
You could print this out and ask the person to follow it carefully:
https://idoneitmyself.com/2018/12/25/installing-a-trailer-hitch-on-a-2018-honda-clarity/

 

@BThunderW

1. Google towing weight distribution - you put more of the weight forward of the axle or center of trailer, more weight on tongue than the rear. Overweight in the rear leads to uncontrollable swaying and crashes. (maybe not with light motorcycles, still, the physics applies)

2. I got a Curt 45070 with a 4" rise (it's reversible, with lower load rating when reversed)
https://www.amazon.com/CURT-45070-Trailer-2-Inch-Receiver/dp/B0007M30BC/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=curt+6+inch+drop&sr=8-2
I tow a NuCamp T@G which is over 1200lbs. with it. - had to use this 4"rise to keep the trailer flat.
Photo attached

 

I suspected a flipped hitch would have a lower rating but never found the derating guidance. Can you provide a reference?

 

Just look at the AMZ link, all the deets and ratings (either direction) are listed there. Way more than you could safely tow w/this vehicle.
(rise position: 6,000 lbs. GTW, 600 lbs. TW)