Honda has announced the 2017 Clarity Electric will
go on sale in the United States in August.
Set to be offered in California and Oregon, the
model will be available to lease for US$ 269 a month for 36 months. The lease has
a federal tax credit built in and requires a down payment of US$ 1,730. That's not
exactly pocket change but the lease has an allowance of 20,000 miles (32,186
km) per year.
The Clarity Electric is powered by a 25.5 kWh
lithium-ion battery which feeds an electric motor that develops 161 hp and 299 Nm of torque. It enables the model to travel up to 89 miles
(143 km) on a single charge. When the battery is depleted, it can be fully
recharged in a little over three hours with a 240 volt charger.
The model will be followed by the Clarity Plug-in
Hybrid which goes on sale later this year. That particular car has a 1.5-liter
Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder engine, a 17 kWh battery pack, and an electric
motor that produces 181 hp and 314 Nm of torque. The model
can travel up to 42 miles (67 km) on electricity alone and over 330 miles (531
km) combined.
