POLL: First time Hybrid Owner?

I’ll try one more time. A PHEV may technically be a Hybrid, but is altogether different. What part of plug in is not clear? But perhaps it’s just a question of semantics and I’m splitting hairs. And Honda confuses the matter by badging the Clarity as a Hybrid with a plug symbol which I guess is more appealing for the unwashed masses than a PHEV badge.

Hybrid is commonly used to describe a vehicle that incorporates a small electric motor and correspondingly small battery to augment the engine. It’s battery can only be charged by the engine and not by any external means. This set up is economical because it costs less than the larger battery and motor in a BEV or PHEV. (Did you notice the last 2 letters? There’s a reason why they aren’t part of a traditional Hybrid’s name. A Hybrid, as commonly referred to, is not a form of EV.) It’s primary purpose is higher MPG and not EV driving. If you look at past and present Hybrids, you’ll see that they either won’t drive solely on battery or do so for impractically short distances. And so basically it depends on and runs the gas engine predominately.

Now contrast that to a PHEV with its larger battery and motor, and the ability to drive electrically for longer than the average commute. And it’s defining feature of external charging like an EV. Hence the EV in its name that a plain Hybrid does not have. So a PHEV is designed to do more than just improve the MPG of its gas engine. For the first 50 miles or so (less in winter) it can and will drive just like BEV, something that a Hybrid cannot. This gives it superior economy and environmental impact over a plain, non plug in Hybrid.
I’ve gone over 1 year and 9,000 miles on less than 15 gal of gas. Let’s see a Hybrid (as commonly referred to) do that! The plug is your friend.

So please don’t insult my wonderful PHEV Clarity by calling it a mere Hybrid.
Them’s fighting words!!!!

 

Come on people. Of course it's a hybrid, i.e., a thing made by combining two different elements. It combines two different propulsion methods. I get that people love to erroneously apply their own personal interpretation to terms, but this shouldn't even be a discussion. It's a variation of a hybrid, but a hybrid nonetheless. Unsurprisingly I could not find anything that limited the term hybrid to a certain size battery, the number of ways it could be recharged, or the distance it can travel solely on electric power.

 

This unwashed Clarity owner acknowledges your PhEV automotive tenacity and passion. May try to update my previous post to remove the CMax Energi and the Clarity. Only Hybrid I owned (I think) was the 2003 Civic. Fotomoto, will need a fourth choice on your poll "No, it is not" because I voted it was my 3rd hybrid. Will change my vote once it appears. SMH. Thanks RogerB!

 

My partly humorous rant was more about how the terms are used by the general public and the superiority of the plug in hybrid over a regular hybrid. Electrons will always trump fossil fuels.

 

No Harm No Foul.

 

Well, in any event, it looks like the Clarity will retain its Unicorn rarity status among PHEVs. Daimler just announced that they will not be including PHEVs in their future offerings.

https://arstechnica.com/cars/2019/04/daimler-north-america-ceo-says-future-does-not-include-plug-in-hybrids/

 

yep you gotta keep the "plugin" emphasized or you are misrepresenting the clarit

Since the Clarity,s primary modus operandi is electric i think Kentucky ken is essentially correct. Especially since only using 15 gallons of fuel in 1 year. Also the Clarity,s complex drive system utilizes the ice to act as a generator to supply electricity to the electric traction motor. However on longer trips it does have the capability to perform more like a traditional hybrid. Since the Clarity's electric traction motor has more combined hp and torque than my 2010 camry hybrid calling it a mere hybrid is a misrepresentation. It is complicated and that is a turn off to those who don't understand the car.

 

When our 2008 Prius hit 163K miles (the most on any car I'd owned), with zero repair issues outside of normal maintenance, I didn't want my wife taking her twice a year 1,100 mile round trips with it. So we sold it to my son and girlfriend, perfect for their shorter trips. It now has 200K miles and the engine has a clogged injector. He tried SeaFoam but it didn't help this time (usually does). So they are thinking about replacing the Prius with another used car. They don't have as much faith in the car as I do. I told them if they are ready to get rid of the Prius I might be interested in buying it back. I'm sure it's good for 300K miles. So for this thread we are not first time hybrid owners, and we could potentially end up having our first hybrid back!

As for a PHEV, namely the Clarity, I think they are the best match for many people. It certainly is for us. Aside from the fact that it is luxurious, it has the EV range we need for all daily trips, no range anxiety, and no long charging stops on long trips. As far as pollution goes we should all feel we are doing our part by driving 80% of the time in EV. This design, to me, is a better fit than a BEV with 300 miles of range.

Were we to have a BEV with 300 miles of range the extra weight and cost would be wasted because 80% of the time we'd only use a fraction of that capability. Then on long trips we'd be burdened with searching for charge stations, waiting for a station to become free in some cases, and waiting for that 80% charge. It would turn our 500 mile 10 hour trips into 12-14 hour trips.

 

The article is specifically only abut Daimler trucks, not cars. Roger Nielsen is head of only Daimler Trucks.

 

The poll asks "Is the Clarity your first hybrid?" and the Clarity is objectively a hybrid. One cannot be essentially correct in denying that categorization. The car combines two different propulsion methods. It is not solely a BEV or a gasmobile. That doesn't mean it isn't a fantastic subset of a hybrid and responding to the poll is not a slap in anyone's face.

 

I agree its

Everyone is correct. It is an ev and its also a hybrid. Both are in the name ; phev

 

So now the public

So now the public is confused thinking the clarity is just another hybrid. As the owner of a camry hybrid i can say it definitely is not. It is both an ev and a hv as i previously said. This is not as complicated as we make it.

 

The public isn't confused because the Clarity PHEV is a well-kept secret, which is just the way Honda wants it.

The late head of FCA, Sergio Marchionne, asked people NOT to buy his company's electric Fiat 500e "because every time I sell one it costs me $14,000." I assume the lack of promotion for the Clarity follows the same reasoning.

 

My first hybrid was the 2014 Accord Hybrid. Talk about angry bees! But, the car was inspiring for its fantastic engineering and good economy, and it led me to invest in a Clarity PHEV, which allows one to enjoy an extended electric-only range (and economy) without range anxiety. It also allows its owners to pick which fuel their car uses during events like grid electrical outages and brownouts, which are becoming more common. (And, no, I don't have rooftop solar yet....).

 

First hybrid, second EV after 3 years with a LEAF. I swore I would never buy a PHEV and had a deposit down on a Model 3, but the build quality issues with that car turned me off and led me to the Clarity, which I’m pretty happy with. 90% + of trips are fully electric. I fill up about once per quarter so it feels like I’m probably a fair use case for this car. I still have a Fiat 500e for “golf cart” city trip duty and a late model F150 for family trips, camping and trucky stuff.

 

I had a 2012 Lincoln MKZ hybrid too. Liked the MKZ, agree with comments re: sync and long gas range. MKZ was my first hybrid, clarity is my 1st PHEV