At the 2017 New York Auto Show, Honda unveiled the Clarity EV and Clarity PHEV.
The EV is uninspiring with a 25.5 kWh battery pack that will provide around 80 miles of electric range. It is a larger mid-size sedan than most other EV offerings, but that should mean more space for a large battery pack too. Either way, Honda thinks that 80 miles is enough to attract the attention of “Honda fans”.
The most interesting child in the Clarity trio is the plug-in hybrid. It combines a 1.5 liter gasoline-powered Atkinson cycle engine with a 181 horsepower electric motor. With a 17 kWh battery pack, the Clarity PHEV is expected to get around 42 miles of EV range putting it at the top of the range charts for mid-size vehicles. The only other plug-in to beat it would be the Volt (54 miles) which is a smaller vehicle.
Honda says the interior of the Clarity trio also sets it above the competition because of the premium level of comfort and refinement from the modern and sophisticated design.
For technology, the Clarity will feature premium levels of content as well as driver assistive technologies as standard equipment – things like autonomous braking, road departure mitigation, adaptive cruise control with low-speed follow and lane keeping assist.
Combined range of the Clarity plugin is 330 miles, and it will come with an estimated 42 MPG on gasoline power alone, and a 105 MPGe rating.
Pricing has not been set, but Honda claims it will be in the mid-30s and provide “incredible value” considering the size of the vehicle, the refinement, comfort and of course overall efficiency.
After a short and strangely unrelated video of the Honda Civic Type-R, Jeff Conrad, senior Vice President of American Honda Motor Co. Inc. took to the stage to explain that Honda wants to apply the 3-in-1 powertrain strategy (fuel cell, plug-in hybrid, and full EV) to the light-truck lineup as well. Over the next 2 years, Honda plans to have all of their U.S. market vehicles be electrified in one way or another.
Release Dates
The Clarity Fuel Cell has been on sale since December 2016.
The 2017 Honda Clarity Plug-in Hybrid will be sold in all 50 states later this year. No pricing or official EPA numbers are available yet.
The Clarity EV will arrive “in the mid-30s” ($35,000 ish) and will initially only be available in California and Oregon.
