W
ait a minute—that’s no Accord.
Unless you’ve done your
research, you probably haven’t
heard of this Accord looka-
like (albeit one with a funkier
rear end). It’s the Clarity, which Honda
offers with three powertrains. There’s
a lease-only hydrogen fuel cell version
that requires the use of our nation’s very
limited hydrogen infrastructure, as well
as an EV with a mere 89 miles of range.
That’s why we’re most interested in the
practical plug-in hybrid variant, which
can travel 47 miles on pure electricity
and hundreds more when the gas engine
comes alive. Plus, if you drive solo to
work, the Clarity PHEV still gains you
access to California’s carpool lanes.
Most plug-in hybrids can’t compete
with the Clarity’s all-electric range, with
the exception of the now-departed Chev-
rolet Volt. GM killed the Volt to concen-
trate on pure-electric vehicles. But a case
can still be made for PHEVs when folksstill suffer from EV range (and recharging)
anxiety. As such, can the as-tested $37,530
Clarity fill the gap left by the industry’s
most popular plug-in hybrid riding off into
the sunset?
Here’s how the Clarity works. Typically,
it runs only on an electric motor that
produces 181 hp and 232 lb-ft of torque.
This motor gets electricity from a lithium-
ion battery pack. A four-cylinder gas
engine with 103 hp kicks in only when
needed. It provides additional driving
range when the battery is low and more
potent acceleration when you press the
pedal past a certain point. Total system
output is 212 hp.
In Hybrid Drive mode, the gas engine
drives a motor-generator to produce
electricity, which goes directly to either
the electric motor or the battery pack. In
Engine Drive mode, power routes directly
from the engine to the front wheels.
The Clarity automatically switches
between the electric, hybrid, and enginemodes to match the current driving
situation. But there are four drive modes
you can select: Normal, Eco, Sport, and
HV. In Eco mode, the threshold for the
engine to kick in with extra power is
higher than in, say, the more aggressive
Sport. Selecting HV mode conserves the
battery’s charge level, and a longer hold
on this button recharges the battery
considerably. During my commute and
with the battery low, I regained more
than 26 electric miles before a message
popped up telling me to plug in if I
wanted more electric range.FIRST TEST I 2019 Honda Clarity PHEV Touring
WORDS KELLY LIN PHOTOGRAPHS BRANDON LIMWITH THE CHEVROLET VOLT
DISCONTINUED, HONDA’S PHEV
HAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHINE74 MOTORTREND.COM APRIL 2020