CALGARY — Honda continues to electrify its lineup and the Clarity plug-in hybrid gives a new jolt to the fleet. While the Clarity has been around in other markets since 2008 it arrived in Canada late last year, and driver Barry Kwong just spent a week learning all about it.

Originally available only as a fuel-cell electric vehicle called the FCX Clarity, the nameplate has grown to include an electric-only model plus the plug-in hybrid. In Canada, it’s just the plug-in hybrid that’s available, and there’s also a Touring model that adds touches such as leather seating surfaces and a navigation system.

Kwong was in the Clarity Touring, finished in Honda’s medium steel metallic with black leather interior.

“It was really a futuristic looking car,” was his first impression. “It’s quite sleek, and I liked the panels above the rear wheels that helped streamline the vehicle – it was very nice looking and it had a few design details that set it apart from all the other four-door sedans on the road.”

Barry Kwong at the wheel. Al Charest , Driving

The 2018 Honda Clarity PHEV. Al Charest , Driving

The 2018 Honda Clarity PHEV. Al Charest , Driving

The 2018 Honda Clarity PHEV. Al Charest , Driving

The 2018 Honda Clarity PHEV. Al Charest , Driving

The 2018 Honda Clarity PHEV. Al Charest , Driving

The 2018 Honda Clarity PHEV. Al Charest , Driving

Kwong learned to drive in North Vancouver using his mom’s Datsun 510. After he got his licence, he’d use the car to hit the ski hills but his own first vehicle was a motorcycle. He’s owned, and continues to own, both street and off-road motorcycles.

“My first four-wheel vehicle that I bought was actually a 1963 Chevy van that I used to haul my motocross machines to the races, and that would have been around 1974,” he says.

Currently, there’s an Audi A4 convertible, 2015 Subaru Outback and a Honda CRV in the driveway.

“I’ve owned numerous Honda products over the past 50 years including an Acura Integra and the Honda CRV, as well as a half dozen off-road motorcycles, outboard motors, generators and even a Honda emergency water pump,” Kwong says, and continues, “I still have and use, fully 50 per cent of them with the rest being sold, all still running fine at the time, as our family outgrew them or traded up.”

He says he’s not particularly biased for or against Honda products, even though his ownership experiences might suggest otherwise. For example, one of his favourite vehicles was a Chevy Avalanche that he just sold because with 330,000 kilometres on the odometer it was beginning to burn oil.

“I’m not overly familiar with electric or hybrid vehicles, either, and have only operated one about six years ago when I test drove a Toyota Highlander hybrid,” he says.

The Clarity Touring was an eye-opener for Kwong.

“On the road, it was really peppy as the electric motor accelerated you from a stop, it really went,” Kwong says.

The Clarity plug-in hybrid utilizes a 1.5-litre Atkinson cycle gasoline engine plus an electric motor for drive purposes. There’s another electric motor that acts as a generator and the gas engine will also help charge an onboard 17 kWh lithium-ion battery.

Furthermore, the car can be plugged into a standard 110-volt outlet (that takes about 12 hours for a full charge) or a 220-volt outlet for a 2.5 hour charge. Once charged, the Clarity has an electric-only range of about 76 kilometres. When all sources are combined, the car can travel up to 547 kilometres.

During most real-world use, it’s the electric drive motor that propels the Clarity. On the road, if the battery is depleted, the gas engine will fire up to power a generator to top up the battery or feed the motor itself. When the Clarity is driven prolonged periods at over 100 km/h the gasoline engine is the most economical source of power in the vehicle and will take over then, and has a 26.5 litre fuel tank capacity.

“I was able to drive it 95 kilometres on the electric motor alone after a full charge,” Kwong says of one occasion. “That’s better than Honda’s specified battery range, and I think that’s fantastic not to be burning any fuel for that distance, and for most urban commuters that means there’s no need to use gasoline and there’s no emissions.”

But when the gas engine did fire up, Kwong says he found it a noisy.

“When it kicked in going up a hill or to charge the battery, it would rev up quite high and it was certainly noticeable,” he says.

Kwong drove the car west to Sunshine Village to ski. He found respectable highway manners, barring the noise of the gasoline engine on hills. Due to the car’s aerodynamics, there was little wind buffeting and imperceptible wind noise. Nimble handling and a comfortable cabin made the Clarity a capable everyday performer, and a vehicle Kwong wouldn’t hesitate to drive long distances thanks to its firm and stable ride. There was a large trunk and the Clarity was equipped with plenty of storage nooks, including a roomy console box behind the cupholders.

“The sound system was top notch, but the navigation didn’t seem integrated very well because the music wouldn’t mute while the navigation was giving directions,” Kwong adds.

He concludes, “Again, the car would be an ideal urban commuter, and I don’t think you could do better if you’re looking for a hybrid.”

DRIVER’S JOURNAL

Day One: General shape is pleasing but fairly similar to many other contemporary mid-sized sedans. Got an overview of the push button drive system embedded in the centre console. The dashboard display that includes both gasoline and battery fuel monitors, and an unusual light-bar quasi engine-speed indicator (simulated tachometer?) also differentiate the car from more conventional automobiles.

Day Two: Unplugged the charge cable. Battery at 75 per cent after nine hours of overnight charging on a standard 110-volt outlet. Drive to the airport. Thick frost on all windows. Rather than scrape, thought I’d see how effective the defroster would be from scratch. (Find out later that the remote key fob can be used to pre-warm and defrost the car. Nice touch!) Pressed the “Power-on” button, then “defrost” (medium setting) and then the driver’s seat heater. Windshield and other windows are clear enough to drive away in a couple minutes, and I could feel the driver’s seat start to warm up by then too.

Day Three: Driving south on Stoney Trail at 100 km/hr, I hear a sudden surge in engine noise. I glance at the battery monitor and notice the battery is now down to zero. Good thing this is a hybrid and the gas engine takes over almost seamlessly! No problem with range anxiety here. The range display reassures me with 500 kilometres remaining using the gasoline-powered engine. Get home and plug the car into the standard 110-volt outlet, battery charge at 55 per cent after about seven hours of charging.

Day Four: Day of skiing at Sunshine Village. Folded rear 60/40 seatback to allow skis to pass through from trunk. Enough room for three pairs of skis and three adults comfortably, or even four-plus adults if a ski box can be installed on the roof. Couple dozen kilometres down the highway, running about 110 km/hr, I suddenly hear a roaring noise from the engine as I ascend a hill! A bit alarming at first until I realize it’s just the gas engine taking over from the electric motor. It’s noticeable and raises the ambient cabin noise level by perhaps three or more decibels. Coming down the long hill from Sunshine, the (steering wheel-mounted) deceleration paddles are just like gearing down and allow me to control vehicle speed and also conserve energy by recharging the battery with the regenerative braking system.

Day Five: Back to the airport. Set drive system to “Sport” mode (it also offers Econ and Normal) for the first time and found it offers very brisk sportscar-like acceleration, much better than most mass market vehicles I’ve driven, and this is a fuel miser!

Day Six: I have a couple minutes, so I fiddle with the rear view camera setting. I reset it to “wide angle” from “normal” and it appears that this setting will provide a much better view of vehicle side clearances and nearby activity when backing the car into a stall. The rear camera setup on the console is easy to access and reset, but it does require a few steps to reset it to one of the three options offered. A dedicated camera button that toggles quickly between the three choices would be much more effective.

Day Seven: I wonder about the best application for this car. With a battery power range of about 90 km, supplemented by a 26.5-litre capacity, gasoline backup engine providing an added range of 500 kilometres, there is no real range limit to the vehicle. A daily round trip commute of about 80 km (with no access to interim recharging) would maximize electric motor use, while minimizing gasoline consumption. It’s versatile enough to be used for almost anything and with Honda’s legendary reliability it’s an absolute winner.