Honda Unveils All Electric And Plug-In Hybrid Versions Of Clarity At The NY Auto Show

Apr 13, 2017 | by Iqtidar Ali

At last Honda realizes and admits that the automotive world has been electrified and the future is All-Electric.

The Japanese automaker claims that they were the most early creators of electric vehicles as long as two decades ago. Honda also launched their first fuel-cell vehicle FCX Clarity around 15 years ago.

Honda also predicts that 2/3 of their production by 2030 will be pure electric vehicles.

Yesterday at the New York International Auto Show Honda unveiled two new versions of their zero-emission fuel cell sedan, the Clarity Electric and Clarity Plug-In Hybrid.

2017 Clarity Electric

Honda made a great decision by joining the full electric vehicle production. Clarity Electric is expected to be available for customers in late 2017. We were able to get the following details for you about the Clarity Electric.

OptionsDetails
TypeMid-Size Sedan
Seating Capacity5 Adults
Range~80 miles
MPGe120/102/111 (city/hwy/combined)
Power161 hp Electric Motor
Battery Pack25.5 kWh
AC Charging Time @ 240 volts3 hours
DC Charging80% in 30 minutes
Estimated Price$35,000 approx

Although the EV range is only 80 miles but Honda presents this as a daily runner not a vehicle intended for long trips. Also the main focus of the automaker for now is the plug-in hybrid version which yields long range and price range estimated to be also around the mid 30s.

2018 Clarity Plug-in Hybrid

Clarity Plug-in Hybrid will be available at Honda dealerships across United States by end of 2017.

We can easily distinguish between the Electric & Hybrid variants of the vehicle by looking at the rear lights Hybrid has red color coated and Electric has white ones.

The Plug-in Hybrid utilizes a hyper efficient 1.5 liter Atkinson cycle 4-cylinder engine to generate electricity and in certain situations can directly power the vehicle.  This hyper-efficiency can result into a driving range of up to 330 miles EPA+.

Let’s go through some vital information that we have from the New York Auto Show unveil.

OptionsDetails
TypeMid-Size Sedan
Seating Capacity5 Adults
Extended Range330+ miles
Fuel Efficiency (hybrid mode)105 MPGe
Fuel Efficiency (gas only)42 MPG
Power181 hp Electric Motor
Battery Pack17 kWh
AC Charging Time @ 240 volts2.5 hours

In addition to above options all three versions of the car include Apple Car Play and Android Auto. Fro safety Honda Sensing package is standard on each trim which includes the following options:

  • Atunomous Braking (CMBS)
  • Road Departure Mitigation
  • Adaptive Cruise Control
  • Low Speed Follow
  • Lane Keeping Assist

Honda claims 2017-18 Clarity models will have an interior that is modern, bright, comfortable, sophisticated with a premium feel at this price point.

Also the interior setup is more environment friendly because most of the material consists of Honda’s proprietary Bio-Fabric.

Although the center screen size is a bit small but we cannot compare this vehicle with a Tesla in range and screen-size at least.

Iqtidar Ali
[email protected]

Iqtidar Ali is a long time web developer and now writing for his childhood passion 'cars' further boosted by the advent of electric vehicles especially Tesla.


Warning: count(): Parameter must be an array or an object that implements Countable in /home/iqtidarali/public_html/wp-includes/class-wp-comment-query.php on line 405
2 Comments
  • Kathryn
    Posted at 22:15h, 15 June Reply

    My 2014 plugin hybrid Accord gets less than 50 miles per gallon, when it used to get 68 miles per gallon on average, same drive. I have been working with the local dealership and now their corporate representative. Their corporate folks were completely useless and rude. He (Tony at 310-783-7759) actually stated to me that I should expect that the car would get less gas mileage than new. I told him that comment was completely invalid for this and any other Honda as we are on our 10th Honda. Currently, I have a 2001 Accord that has gotten 26 miles per gallon consistently from the day I purchased it. The Auburn Honda Dealership folks already acknowledged that I should be getting better gas mileage (check the original specifications folks). They have alluded to battery, which is not unreasonable, and I am under warranty. But, they don’t know and have shrugged it off. They continue to tell me every time I bring the car in for anything, how inexperienced they are with this model and they don’t know why things go wrong with the car. So they do their best, but they have consistently stated that they do not have the expertise for this model. Also, despite that the dealership stated to me that they agree that I am not getting the gas mileage I should, they also say they can’t find anything “mechanical or anything that registers on their equipment” therefore they won’t replace anything. I have asked if they will test the battery by using a new battery temporarily to see if that is the problem. They refuse. I also pointed out that we are on our third 12 Volt battery in less than 4 years and they agree that is unusual. The Honda Corporation maintains that they don’t have to test the battery by temporarily switching it out with a new battery and therefore rationalize that there is nothing is wrong under the warranty. They also say that since dealerships are franchises, the Honda Corporation is not obligated to enforce anything. Tony also suggested that I try a different dealership than Auburn Honda in Auburn, California. So, buyer beware when it comes to Honda’s electric cars. They will not fully test the battery if it starts to wear down, even if your car is under warranty. It is probably because they don’t want the possibility of being responsible to replace a $12000 battery.

    • X Auto
      Posted at 22:00h, 16 June Reply

      Your conclusion seems to be accurate that they don’t want to take responsibility of an expensive battery under warranty. Dealerships therefore are an outdated idea, Tesla sells and maintains their cars directly and this customer-manufacturer relation should be the future…

Post A Comment