Per IEVS, Jan. U.S. Clarity sales:
Clarity BEV: 77
Clarity FCV: 1
Clarity PHEV: 1,192
Total: 1,271
Apparently the FCEV is just starting production again.
https://insideevs.com/news/363526/honda ... alifornia/Report: Honda Clarity PHEV Sales Now Limited To Only California
https://www.autoblog.com/2019/12/18/202 ... fuel-cell/2020 Honda Clarity Fuel Cell gets better cold weather performance
The hydrogen vehicle is still only available to lease in California
Honda won’t sell many Clarity Fuel Cell cars, but the hydrogen-powered Honda is getting a minor update in 2020 all the same. As a quick reminder, the Clarity is only available for lease in California. The going rate these days is $379 per month, and it’s available for purchasing from 12 select Honda dealers in the region. To say it is niche would be an understatement.
The updates for 2020 may not have you clamoring to find a dealership, but they are worthwhile improvements. Honda says it has “improved cold-weather startup performance.” We’ve asked Honda for details on how it’s improved, but just know it’s better than before for the time being. One other cold weather nicety Honda included in the update is heated outside mirrors. Residents living in California (the only place one can buy a Clarity Fuel Cell) probably won’t be in a position to take advantage of these cold weather improvements, but we’re not going to complain about them either.
Honda has also revised the Clarity’s color scheme. In addition to white and black, a new Crimson Pearl color is available for ordering. This red replaces the Bordeaux Red offered in 2019. The white Claritys will also come with a brown interior as opposed to the all black interior from last year. . . .
We already know that your use case is pretty much in the extreme. How many people are driving their FCEV Clarities into the mountains to ski? Can you even make those trips with the current state of H2 fueling infrastructure? Most people are buying these cars to commute in while making a statement. I'd wager that the vast majority will never leave the LA basin. And those are the people who will never need the winter package.GRA wrote: ↑Wed Dec 18, 2019 6:53 pmHaving chosen my 2003 Forester partly because it came with heated outside mirrors, I take exception to the above statement. Anyone who regularly skis or who lives in the Sierra can benefit from them, not to mention those who regularly encounter heavy fog, common along parts of the coast and endemic to the Central Valley in winter.
GetOffYourGas wrote: ↑Wed Jan 15, 2020 8:35 amWe already know that your use case is pretty much in the extreme. How many people are driving their FCEV Clarities into the mountains to ski? Can you even make those trips with the current state of H2 fueling infrastructure? Most people are buying these cars to commute in while making a statement. I'd wager that the vast majority will never leave the LA basin. And those are the people who will never need the winter package.GRA wrote: ↑Wed Dec 18, 2019 6:53 pmHaving chosen my 2003 Forester partly because it came with heated outside mirrors, I take exception to the above statement. Anyone who regularly skis or who lives in the Sierra can benefit from them, not to mention those who regularly encounter heavy fog, common along parts of the coast and endemic to the Central Valley in winter.
From my empirical experience, I disagree. Skiers care disproportionately about having AWD, not so much what comes out of their tailpipe. This is based on the large numbers of SUVs, Trucks, and Subarus in the parking lots.GRA wrote: ↑Wed Jan 15, 2020 5:24 pm
No idea how many are doing so, but there are plenty of skiers here in the Bay Area and Sacramento areas, and it stands to reason that people who do so are more likely to care about air pollution than the general public. I've seen my share of BEVs in Yosemite, including a Model X in the same overnight wilderness trailhead parking area (at a downhill resort) I left my car in on my most recent trip.
FCEV Claritys are sold in Northern California as well as Southern California, and you can certainly drive them to Tahoe to ski, as there are stations in Sacramento as well as Truckee. Getting from the Bay Area to Yosemite and back remains very difficult for an FCEV - a Nexo and probably a Clarity could do it with a lot of care, a Mirai no. As I usually go towards Yosemite and almost never to Tahoe anymore, it's not surprising that I haven't seen any Claritys in the mountains. As for SoCal, there are ski areas within round-trip FCEV range of L.A.
GetOffYourGas wrote: ↑Tue Jan 21, 2020 1:08 pmFrom my empirical experience, I disagree. Skiers care disproportionately about having AWD, not so much what comes out of their tailpipe. This is based on the large numbers of SUVs, Trucks, and Subarus in the parking lots.GRA wrote: ↑Wed Jan 15, 2020 5:24 pm
No idea how many are doing so, but there are plenty of skiers here in the Bay Area and Sacramento areas, and it stands to reason that people who do so are more likely to care about air pollution than the general public. I've seen my share of BEVs in Yosemite, including a Model X in the same overnight wilderness trailhead parking area (at a downhill resort) I left my car in on my most recent trip.
FCEV Claritys are sold in Northern California as well as Southern California, and you can certainly drive them to Tahoe to ski, as there are stations in Sacramento as well as Truckee. Getting from the Bay Area to Yosemite and back remains very difficult for an FCEV - a Nexo and probably a Clarity could do it with a lot of care, a Mirai no. As I usually go towards Yosemite and almost never to Tahoe anymore, it's not surprising that I haven't seen any Claritys in the mountains. As for SoCal, there are ski areas within round-trip FCEV range of L.A.
GetOffYourGas wrote: ↑Tue Jan 21, 2020 1:08 pmTeslas are in a different categories. Skiers also tend to have more discretionary budget than others (the sport is not cheap!). Those same people often buy Teslas for a statement and not for clean air.
https://www.greencarreports.com/news/11 ... -mid-2030sSubaru aims for dramatic CO2 cuts: All hybrids and EVs by mid-2030s
GetOffYourGas wrote: ↑Wed Jan 22, 2020 8:50 amI neither said nor implied that all skiers are downhill skiers. I also enjoy cross country skiing, and the same comments / observations apply. At XC locations, they too have parking lots full of SUVs and Trucks. I do see the occasional Tesla, but almost always the Dual Motor (aka AWD) variant.
And then you look at the people on the trails - their clothing gives them away. Far more of them are making a statement than are being practical. And the amount of trash they leave behind betrays the fact that they aren't highly motivated to preserve the environment.