Can You Use a PHEV Without Plugging it in?
A couple months ago we featured the 2019 Honda Clarity PHEV Touring, a near-80km range plug-in hybrid electric vehicle from Honda. We followed up with an episode of TestDrive Spotlight on the 2019 Honda Insight Hybrid, and a Showdown comparing it to the 2019 Kia Niro Hybrid. During those episodes we had viewers comment about the ease of use when it comes to a normal hybrid over the PHEV, and it got us thinking. How efficient is a PHEV if you never plug it in?
Our episode of TestDrive Garage looks at the same 2019 Honda Clarity PHEV Touring we had before but driving it without charging it to see what kind of fuel economy we can achieve out of the 1.5L Earth Dreams engine and e-CVT. We find out if you can use a PHEV without charging it up, and if it makes financial sense to do so.