It’s a common complaint that every car on the road today looks the same.
While there are some Cybertruck-shaped exceptions to this idea, it’s hard to look at the modern car landscape without feeling like, on a surface level, things have gotten a little stagnant.
People who think that may not be looking close enough. If you have a good eye, you can spot lots of interesting cars still occupying roads, including models of which you’ve never heard.
For example, a user on TikTok says he briefly got to drive a Honda Clarity. What on earth is that?
What Is This Car?
In a video with over 19,000 views, valet driver and TikTok user @carchimesvalet shows himself behind the wheel of a 2018 Honda Clarity.
In the video’s overlay text, he lists some information about the vehicle. To start, it’s a plug-in hybrid with a 1.5 liter I-4 engine. According to the TikToker, its estimated EV range is 47-48 miles, and the vehicle was assembled in Japan.
“Funky lil car,” he writes in the video’s caption.
Don’t be too shocked that you haven’t heard of the Honda Clarity. It was a largely experimental platform through which Honda tested out new technology. While its exterior was nothing to write home about, the tech inside paved the way for many of the Honda vehicles that are on the road today.
A Brief History of The Honda Clarity
Back in 2008, Honda debuted the first Clarity. The vehicle used hydrogen fuel cells to power an electric motor. Unlike an electric vehicle, which can take hours to completely recharge, the Honda Clarity could be refueled in just five minutes. With a full tank, it could travel around 240 miles.
While Honda did lease some of the original Clarity vehicles around Japan, California, and some parts of the European Union, the car never really took off. The issue, the company said, was that a hydrogen refueling network never really developed around the world, apart from select markets. This meant that those who drove the car did not have any place to refuel, and road trips were out of the question.
This line of Honda Clarity vehicles ended in 2014. From there, the “Clarity” badge became Honda’s way of testing out vehicles with alternative power.
While Honda still produced a hydrogen fuel cell Clarity, the company also produced two other versions of the car. One was a battery-electric vehicle (BEV), while the other was a plug-in hybrid (PHEV). The former had a range of 80 to 90 miles on a single charge, while the latter had a range of 340 miles with combined gas and electric. On electric alone, the car could go about 47 miles.
Why Did Honda Get Rid Of The Clarity?
By 2021, Honda had ceased production of all Clarity vehicles.
There are several reasons for this. To start, the aforementioned issues with hydrogen refueling meant that the fuel cell cars were always going to have difficulties moving units.
Next, as EVs became more popular and battery technology developed, the car’s 80- to-90 mile range just couldn’t compete with others on the market. For example, the latest Tesla Model S claims to get over 400 miles on a single charge.
Finally, sales of the Clarity, regardless of the model, were never particularly high. Plug-in hybrids have long struggled to gain a foothold in the American car market, and the Honda Clarity simply did not have enough sales to justify its continued production.
That said, the development of the Clarity allowed Honda to experiment with and learn about EV technology. Since then, they’ve debuted the fully-electric Prologue and other EVs outside of the United States. The company also says that it plans to scale up EV production in the coming years.
@carchimesvalet funky lil car #hondaclarity #valet ♬ original sound – carchimesvalet
We’ve reached out to Honda via email and @carchimesvalet via TikTok direct message and comment.
