Hi All,
I have had my Clarity EV for 2 months. I drive the it to work on a daily basis. The commute is ~35 miles each way and I have easy access to level 2 chargers (via ChargePoint) at my office. With the chargers at work and standard level 1 at home at night I have not had any concerns with the range. In general, I have been impressed with the Clarity EV as a 'car' and I've also been impressed with the characteristics of the electric motor (instant torque, quiet, affordable, low maintenance, etc).
Until last night.
When i got to my car to go home after work, I unplugged the charge cable, closed the charge port access door, and got into the Clarity to find that _none_ of they electrical systems worked. No power, no dashboard, no interior/exterior lights, no door locks, no aux power, the charge port door wouldn't open and the HondaLink App could not get data form the car. Nothing. I opened the hood and checked the 12v aux battery and it appeared to have complete charge (there is a visual indicator on the battery, a nice touch). I also checked the Charge Point app which tracks the charging progress (in kw, $ and time) and found that I was plugged in for almost 10 hours while I was at work but that $0 and 0kw.
So, I called Honda Roadside assistance and after waiting 6 hours and talking with 9 different people (a whole different customer service nightmare for a different post) a tow truck driver that had seen similar things with Honda Clarities (I'm in Northern CA and there are quite a few around here) had the suggestion to 'jump start' the 12v aux battery. We tried that and it actually worked. The system turned on and the battery meter showed 50% capacity - what I had when I arrived at work in the morning. The audio/nav system didn't work, but otherwise, the car seemed ok. The tow truck driver thought that the battery may have overheated while charging but I don't think this is the case because 1) it wasn't a particularly hot day and this was pretty standard amount of time to be plugged in and 2) I don't think any charging happened at all as suggested by the cars battery meter and Charge Points report that I didn't draw any power.
What gives? Has anyone else had or heard about a similar problem and solution? I have searched different forums and sites and haven't found anything. I'm also extremely unimpressed with Honda's customer service so far as they barely seem to know what the Clarity is, much less know how to help.
I really like this car and want it to work out. Hopefully we can share some knowledge on this forum.
Thanks