Previous Tesla Model X owner / Satisfied Honda Clarity PHEV owner

Glad I found this post. A previous Tesla Model S owner who ordered a Model 3 and waited like a kid anticipating the new toy! That’s where it ended. The delivery advisor(s) didn’t hold their end of the agreement. They cancelled delivery (here is my Reddit post where I was downvoted to oblivion https://reddit.com/r/teslamotors/comments/87yji1/tesla_botched_my_model_3_delivery_experience/) of the vehicle twice in 8 days due to logistics and parts issues - enough to trigger me to other EVs.

That is when I found this gem of a combo in the Clarity. Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV was decent but battery/gas mpg too low, understandable for an all wheel SUV with 1500lbs towing capacity. Clarity’s Autopilot like features, plenty of electric battery for my less than 40 mile daily, I felt it had more room than the Model 3 which I drove for an hour - best of all same day delivery, 40% cheaper than the 3 and 2 years of oil changes free if I use them! My out the door price for a Touring was $35,500 in Oregon including everything. $7500 Federal credit and $2500 Oregon credit is the icing on the cake! $25,500 post credits is an absolute steal for the space, featureset and the Honda reliability/resale.

I can still use my Tesla Wall Charger with the Clarity - $250 TeslaTap adapter required. ChaDeMo adapter that I bought for $450 is sitting in my house, never used! My delivery advisor turned me away from Tesla so easily. I still am a fanboy and wish Tesla all the best to weather the next 3 years of competition.

 

This article that just came out from Car and Driver pretty much skewered the Model 3. This is for a $56,000 car. Tesla can't seem to get fix the poor workmanship of their cars.

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2018-tesla-model-3-test-review

 

If you’re handy, you can remove the Tesla handle and cable and replace it with a J1772 and cable. Especially if you have a Gen-1 HPWC. That would be cheaper and easier than the tap. Tony would probably be just as happy selling one of his fine 40a J1772 assemblies as he would to sell the adapter.

Thank you for your insight on the 3 situation. There are a few of us here who gave up on the 3 and don’t regret it one bit. Welcome to the club.

You can wait for the next run on the CHAdeMO adapters and probably sell it for what you owe or a little more. I bet when they finally add compatibility for the 3 they will go pretty quick.

 

I have the latest generation HPWC with the longer cord. I want to keep it as an option in case I get a Tesla in the future. TeslaTap it is while I don't mind charging . I am not touching the Model 3 anytime soon unless it comes out in the used market in 3 years as a $20,000 alternative!

I don't get the ChaDeMo incompatibility with the Model 3. Not sure why it cannot, some protocol issue perhaps. There are some users on FaceBook inquiring it. Lets see how much it goes for!

 

Yeah, Tesla still holds over $6500 of my cash and my $50,000 cashier's check kept me away for a little over a day after cancellation. Horrible experience so far! Jaguar I-PACE sounds interesting but kind of wary getting their first gen electric. Getting rid of the EV Federal Tax Credit may not be that easy but you never know from this administration that thinks Coal is still a good idea!

 

Good luck on a speedy resolution. If anything, Tesla always seems to do the right thing in the end (eventually) so I’m sure you’ll get your money back.

I really hope they get it together. I still want that Tesla experience, but day by day I’m starting to doubt they’ll ever get it back. It’s kind of like what happened to Apple after the iPhone came out. It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, it just wasn’t the same company anymore and that was kind of sad.

I only hope that Honda and others see the light and that the destruction of the EPA by an oil shill doesn’t cause the auto industry to give up on all this great work they’re doing. Many have been late to the party, but every year we are seeing more and better options for electric.

 

I am not sure the oil/auto company can do much in the world (except US) as most of Europe and Asia are moving to the Electric economy. They can hold back in the US but if they want to sell to the rest of the world, they need to produce electric/PHEV as emission standard is getting tougher and tougher. Besides, who know who will be sitting in that big white color house in 2 years time.

BTW, Shell is already installing electric charging stall in their gas station in Europe and I am sure others will follow suit as their oil revenue will decrease as more and more electric car is driven in Europe

 

I am excited about the EV options available now and can only hope they get bigger and better. Model S was great but keeping it topped up in a timely manner was an issue. Besides, true range is never the same, at least on the P85 Model S. 265 miles was more like 165~180 miles in real life (cold weather). With the mass market, they will be jam packed as more people need service. As batteries get more efficient, smaller with more power, range anxiety can be a thing of the past!

Cutting federal credit out would be a major blow for budding EVs and I think we are past that now! Wish we had a greener voice in the White House. EV shouldn't get too comfortable either. Fuel Cells sound way too good on paper and they generate oxygen and water as a by product! Bigger and better adoption would give the existing gas stations some relief in providing backup fuel sources.

 

In Canada , in Ontario where I live , the price is @ 9c/ KWH at off peak time from 7pm to 7am and Gas price currently at C$ 5/ per gallon , so Clarity is in great demand and wait time is 3 month.

 

Hello fellow PHEV owners, just discovered this having purchased a clarity recently. So far the driving comparison to my c350e is day and nite. The clarity drivetrain, braking and pedal feel is far superior and linear. The Benz driving experience takes some time to adapt to with the electric motor and braking system in constant pull with the standard systems so acceleration and braking can be very abrupt and rocky.
Definitely feels like benz gen 1 in the hybrid game.
Fit and finish on the clarity and Honda in general has improved so much that I probably won’t be going back to benz given the lack of added dollar value.
Infotainment system I do prefer the benz. Having the single scroll knob is very handy to navigate around and the visual design is superior. I also wished for parking sensors especially in the front. Parking with the use of the backup camera is adequate.
So far, benz is around 39mpg, clarity at 130mpg with that extended battery capacity.
One gripe on the clarity is the difficulty in cleaning the back window! Honda shoulda just made it a proper hatchback

 

Also pulled the plug on the tesla model 3 and bought the Clarity instead. I am debating about whether or not to get my $1000 back on the Tesla or to simply wait and see what happens when the cheaper model 3 finally comes out. My understanding is that I can wait as long as I want on this. If for some reason the tesla 3 winds up being spectacular I can purchase one for my wife. I've been told that I can't transfer the reservation to a third party.

 

I drove at Tesla 3. Really hated it! Way too small and cramped. Didn't like the fact that you had to do EVERYTHING through the screen. Even to open the glove box. I did learn something new about the Clarity from another post. When driving on the freeway in ACC and in HV mode, add Sport mode. It really helps the car keep up with traffic. Oddly, I get the same gas mileage in Sport mode as I do in standard HV mode. I too wish the Clarity had bumper sensors front and rear. But no car is perfect.

 

My Clarity ownership was short lived. I wanted near 100% electric usage on it but some of my projects forced me to travel further in one go. Clarity’s 39~48 miles depending on the weather didn’t cut it.

Enter Model 3 take 2! This time, they delivered the car within a week from ordering, no waiting in line. Start to finish within 1 week. My out the door was $55K including AutoPilot (Portland OR). Oregon and Federal should get me $10K. Essentially $45K.

Superchargers and work chargers for long and daily commutes respectively. Loving the AutoPilot for longer rides. Takes the boredom and stress out of driving. Superchargers add enough miles in 15 minutes and they are strategically placed.

I wish Honda Clarity PHEV did more than 47+ EV miles on the battery. I am all set for 4 years before I will try to find a pure EV - Tesla or not. The newer EV should do 400+ EV miles on a full charge. If not, the Model 3 should just work for my needs.

 

I wish it was warm in MN in the Winter, too.

It sounds like you made the right choice for your needs, and you have the flexibility of paying significantly more for the Tesla. All of us have a set of criteria for our automobile purchase that we match as closely as possible to what's available in the market. In no case are we going to come up with a 100% match.

I have done additional research on the market after buying the Clarity, based on now knowing more about it from experience and from this forum. I do not have buyer's remorse. It fits my personal requirements better than any vehicle currently available. Yes, there are things that I would change if I could, but nothing huge.

 

You can get the rear bumper sensors installed, they just don't integrate to any display they just have a beeper module. Someone had them installed on the front too, but you need a manual switch or something that could sense low speed driving mode.

Model 3 is the size of BMW 3 or Honda Civic, it's the smaller class size down.