IN THE WORLD of automotive propulsion, the hierarchy of complication goes something like this: Pure electric cars are simple; internal combustion engines, with many more parts and those explosions, are complex. Hybrids, which make the two work in concert, are extra complex.
Honda’s Clarity Plug-In Hybrid calls for a new category: so-complex-it-makes-your-head-spin. To combine the benefits of electric propulsion with the reassurance of internal combustion, Honda brought in two electric motors and a 1.5-liter gasoline engine.
