Although the Honda Clarity Electric’s all-electric model showed promise, it was abandoned in 2020. It might be because the lease option was restricted to California and Oregon only. Its comparatively short range of distance on the battery might be another factor. The Clarity Electric, created by Honda, has a limited driving range of 89 miles.
According to Car and Driver, the Clarity Electric doesn’t even come close to competing when it comes to vehicles with 238 to 240 miles of range, such as the Chevy Bolt or the Tesla Model 3. Many more of these EVs with respectable ranges are now on the automotive market. If the Clarity Electric was still in existence, it would need to have made significant advancements to remain competitive.
Honda decided to stop producing the Clarity’s electric variant because it wants to concentrate more on the proposed electric vehicles it is currently developing. In the upcoming several years, it intends to introduce more EV vehicles.
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Will Honda take the place of Clarity?
- Initially, an electric version of the Clarity was also offered, but that model was discontinued a year ago.
- According to Honda, the Clarity will continue to be leased through 2022.
- In August 2021, Honda will stop making the Clarity fuel-cell and plug-in hybrid cars.
Production of the Honda Clarity, which was initially offered as an EV, a hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle, and a plug-in hybrid, will come to an end in August 2021. Nikkei was the first to report the announcement, and Honda confirmed it to C/D. The hydrogen and PHEV variants will shortly be discontinued, after the removal of the EV version from the portfolio last year.
Honda may be ending production of the clarity plug-in hybrid.
Honda introduced the Clarity six years ago, and despite the fact that it will no longer be produced, Honda has not ruled out further research into hydrogen technology.
“Prior to the release of our first mass-market BEV vehicles in 2024, Honda told us that as part of its developing strategy, it is concentrating on expanding the application of its two-motor hybrid technology to core models.
“Honda will stop making the Clarity Plug-in Hybrid and Clarity Fuel Cell in August 2021 in line with this policy. Honda will continue to support our Clarity customers in the market and the Clarity Fuel Cell will be available for lease through 2022 as a result.
The Honda Clarity’s lifespan
What is the battery life? The battery is supported by an 8 year, 100,000 mile warranty and is built to last for many years of dependable operation.
In 2022, will Honda have a PHEV?
Anyone who wants to sell in the largest auto market in the world must adjust when it decides to go electric. Honda demonstrated its willingness to achieve this with the automobiles it displayed at the Auto Shanghai 2021. The second half of 2021 will see the Breeze PHEV go on sale. Production of the SUV E:Prototype is anticipated to begin in early 2022. They are among the ten electric cars the business plans to market in China during the following five years.
Honda provided very little information on the E:Prototype aside from the design. The manufacturer just stated that it will feature dramatic “but smooth” acceleration performance and is based on “Honda dynamics innovations.
Honda also emphasized that it would employ the third-generation Honda Connect, which has connectivity options that will let it to have speech recognition and over-the-air updates. A more advanced ADAS system is a key component of Honda Connect.
Gallery: Honda Reveals The SUV E:Prototype And Breeze PHEV At Auto Shanghai 2021
There is nothing pertaining to power, range, quick charging capability, or any other inquiries EV owners might have. It only guarantees to be close to serial manufacturing because it is a prototype. Only after the final draft is presented will we know the answers to those queries.
A Honda Clarity may be purchased.
The starting MSRP for the Clarity plug-in hybrid is $33,400. Even if it is above average for the class of hybrid vehicles, you should be aware that you might be eligible for a federal tax credit, which would ultimately result in a reduced cost for the vehicle. Although you can’t buy the Honda Clarity Fuel Cell, you can rent one in California.
Is it wise to keep my Honda Clarity?
The 2018 Honda Clarity continues to receive the most complaints, making it the worst year for the car. This makes sense because the majority of models experience issues within their initial model year.
Automakers will eventually fix the issues, increasing the model’s dependability.
The 2018 Honda Clarity’s engine’s high rpm and sporadic power loss was the main issue.
The engine revs so high, according to some owners, that it feels like it would explode. Following that, the engine typically loses power, resulting in a car stall.
This issue is serious since it puts motorists at danger of collisions or crashes. In fact, several owners gave up on the vehicle because they believed the engine issues made it dangerous to drive.
Numerous complaints about the 2018 Honda Clarity’s drivetrain issues were also made to the NHTSA.
Of all the Clarity variants, the 2019 Honda Clarity experiences the fewest issues and complaints.
Although there aren’t any complaints about the 2020 model either, it’s still a new model, so we can’t predict if there will be any.
Therefore, if you’re looking for a good alternative-fuel vehicle, we’d suggest acquiring the 2019 Honda Clarity.
Does it make sense to swap out a hybrid battery?
They might also inquire as to whether an investment in a hybrid battery is worthwhile. Hybrid batteries, on the other hand, won’t just save you money over time by lowering your trips to the petrol station; their longer lifespan also means you’ll spend less money on maintenance.
How long is the lifespan of a hybrid battery?
Consumers’ beliefs that the pricey high-voltage battery packs in hybrid vehicles are unreliable and prone to frequent or premature failure are some of the key reasons for customer reluctance to these vehicles. Truth be told, high-voltage hybrid battery packs must be warranted for at least eight years or 100,000 miles of operation by all makers of hybrid vehicles sold domestically in the US. However, certain hybrids built in Japan now come with ten-year warranties that last for ten years or 150,000 miles of service; one example being the latest Toyota Prius models.
Additionally, producers are required by law to transmit and uphold the remaining hybrid battery warranties in the domestic market of the United States. According to this requirement, the dealer is required to transfer the remaining original battery warranty to you if you purchase, for example, a hybrid car that is three years old and has 40,000 miles on the odometer. Additionally, if the battery fails within the remaining time frame, the dealer must honor the remaining warranty sum.
Unfortunately, since nothing in this world is flawless, high-voltage hybrid battery packs can and do malfunction for a variety of reasons. In order to comprehend what you can do to prolong the life of the high-voltage battery pack in your hybrid vehicle, it is necessary to first grasp what hybrid battery packs are, how they function, and how occasionally they break down.
Why is hydrogen unappealing to Elon Musk?
He told the Financial Times, “It does not naturally occur on Earth, so you either have to divide water with electrolysis or fracture hydrocarbons.”
“When you crack hydrocarbons, you really haven’t solved the problem of fossil fuels, and electrolysis efficiency is weak.”
Most hydrogen produced today is done so using fossil fuels. Another way of manufacturing is electrolysis, which involves dividing water into oxygen and hydrogen using an electric current.
Some refer to this process as green or renewable hydrogen if the electricity utilized in it comes from a renewable source, such wind or solar.
In recent years, big corporations and business executives have shown interest in electrolysis-based hydrogen projects, but it would seem that Musk is not one of them.
He told the Financial Times that electrolysis had “poor efficiency.” “This means that the energy required to… separate hydrogen and oxygen is quite high. It then requires a lot of energy to pressurize it after separating the hydrogen and oxygen.”
Oh my God, he said, “and if you have to liquefy hydrogen. “It takes a startling amount of energy to create hydrogen and convert it into liquid form. It is the most stupid idea I can think of for energy storage.”
Different viewpoints
While Musk may be dismissive of the role that hydrogen will play in the energy revolution, other powerful voices are a little more upbeat. One of them is Anna Shpitsberg, the U.S. Department of State’s deputy assistant secretary for energy transition.
Why isn’t hydrogen the future?
In a fuel cell, hydrogen is not consumed because it is the most abundant element in the universe and is solely used to transport energy. But it doesn’t exactly grow on trees either, and there aren’t any “hydrogen pockets” beneath the ground that we can just pump it out of. In order to be extracted from compounds from which it really doesn’t want to be separated because it doesn’t exist on our planet in a pure state, a lot of energy must be expended.
You’d think hydrogen could be produced by simply splitting water (H2O) into hydrogen (H2) and oxygen (O), but this process is too inefficient. As a result, about 95% of hydrogen is produced using fossil fuels, primarily natural gas, which negates the first argument by generating carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. Additionally, when reversed in the fuel cell, it consumes more energy than it produces (six units of coal energy are needed to produce one unit of hydrogen energy). As a result, like a battery electric vehicle, a hydrogen automobile won’t be ecologically benign until the energy is produced by solar or wind power.
Why aren’t hydrogen cars more widely used?
The most aggravating aspect of hydrogen fuel cell automobiles is undoubtedly this. The entire point of a hydrogen vehicle is that it produces no emissions when compared to an equivalent ICE vehicle, but the great bulk of the energy required to produce hydrogen—which must be mined or manufactured using existing resources because it is not a resource—comes from natural gas. And this won’t change any time soon, and for a very simple reason: since natural gas hydrogen production is inexpensive, cheaper pricing for consumers will follow from it. Customers will select the less expensive hydrogen if given the choice between pricey hydrogen produced by the wasteful use of renewable energy sources and cheaper hydrogen.
The Bosch Automotive Handbook claims that using natural gas to make hydrogen doesn’t necessarily result in lower CO2 emissions than using gasoline, diesel, or other internal combustion engine fuels. So why even do it? The further justifications are not necessary, but I’ll still mention them.
How long does it take a charging station to fully charge a Honda Clarity?
It takes roughly 12 hours to fully charge a Level 1 120-volt charger. You receive a complete charge in around 2.5 hours using a 30 amp Level 2, 240-volt charger.
Everything Honda Clarity drivers need to know about charging an electric vehicle
Honda expanded its Clarity series in 2017 by releasing the Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV) and Honda Clarity Electric BEV. Only California and Oregon presently offer the Honda Clarity Electric on a three-year lease. Due to its sector-leading 47-mile all-electric range, the Clarity PHEV, which is offered in all 50 states, is one of the only PHEVs to be eligible for the full $7,500 federal EV tax credit.
Honda Clarity EV charging and range
With a 25.5 kWh battery, the 2017 Honda Clarity Electric has an about 89-mile driving range (143 km). With a 17 kWh battery, the 2017 Clarity Electric Plug-In Hybrid can go 47 miles (76 km) on electricity alone before switching to a hybrid drivetrain that uses the gas generator for a total hybrid range of 340 miles (550 km).
For the US market, the SAE J1772-2009 (Type 1) receptacle for 120-240 V Level 1 and 2 AC charging is installed in the Clarity Electric and Plug-In Hybrid. The chart below lists the charging rates for the Honda Clarity.