Honda Clarity Driving Range

Driving Range – I own a 2018 Honda Clarity Touring and a 2013 Honda Accord EXL. The Accord displays, miles per gallon (mpg) and Range accurately on the panel, the Clarity does not. I drive the Clarity with the EV (EV Battery) and HV (Gas) ranges displayed. The display shows a reasonably accurate Battery range and a wildly overstated Gas range most of the time. For example, I took a screen shot of my fully charged Clarity with a full tank of gas this morning and it showed 41 miles of EV range and 889 miles of HV range, for a total of 930 miles rage. There is no way that the Clarity can go 930 miles before filling up the gas tank if I didn’t charge it every day. It certainly could go 930 miles if I get my average overall displayed MPG of 190.9 and charge it every day. I have found that the Gas Range gets more accurate as I continue diving after the EV range goes to 0. To explain, if I started driving today and kept driving until I got to a ¼ tank of gas, the display would probably show a range of 96 miles. I know this because that is what I see, on the display, when I use up all the EV miles and reach the ¼ tank of gas.

This is how I know that the 96-mile range is a good number. My wife and I took 2 road trips where we didn’t stop to recharge and drove until we filled the tank at ¼ tank of gas. I recorded the miles driven and gallons used and found out that we get 55 mpg in EV mode, 44 mpg HV mode. I found these numbers to be consistent. I now drive in EV mode all the time. I got the mpg by the old method of dividing the miles driven by the gallons used. I did the calculation after the EV range went to 0. Given that I get 55 mpg and the Clarity has a 7-gallon tank I could go 385 miles if I used all the gas in the tank. One quarter tank is 96-miles of driving range. That is 385 miles time 25% = 96 miles. The range of a ¼ tank can be different for other drivers but it would still be a good idea to fill up soon after getting to ¼ tank.

I would like Honda to give Clarity owners the choice of having e EV HV display the actual gas range and or the average overall range based on the combined average of EV and HV driving. I would like to see 41 miles for EV and 385 for gas when my Clarity is fully charged and gassed.

EV Driving Range and Temperature – I do not have a garage. I live where the temperature goes down in winter. The EV driving range goes down with the temperature. This is because the EV battery is filled with liquid not unlike 12-volt lead aside batteries. Both types of batteries lose charge capacity as the liquid is cooled. I get an EV driving range of 48 to 50 miles in the summer heat, and 32 to 43 in the winter cold. The problem is solved for 12-volt batteries by heating them with an electric rap like a heating pad. Most car makers offer the raps in Alaska and other states that have harsh winters. I have looked for the equivalent heater for the Honda EV battery and have not found one. I propose that if the heating of the EV battery would not harm the EV battery that Honda should engineer one to be sold as an accessory. It could be hooked up to the 220-volt but only tapping off 110-voltes and controlled by a switch, a programed choice or even by temperature.