Battery Did Not Recharge At All On a Long Trip

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cwrubin

Member
Joined
Feb 18, 2017
Messages
6
Hi ... A3 etroners! Just took possession of a 2017 Audi A3 etron, Premier ... hopefully impressed, but so far mostly mystified. Here's my scenario ... driving the car off the dealer's lot, I used EV mode to use up the battery and see what the car does. Battery, after about 15-20 miles drained to empty, but seemed to remain in EV mode, with, obviously, the engine running. Drove about 100 miles home on the engine only as the battery remained completely empty. There was absolutely no recharging of the battery. Once home, the battery was still empty. Setup the charger at home, charged the battery overnight on 120v plug, and battery was fully charged.

Question ... Is this normal behavior? We were led to believe that the battery would recharge during long drives, but did not recharge at all. Drove fairly slowly and varied speed to respect the engine during early break-in. I'm shocked at this outcome and very concerned about whether there is a bug or problem with the car that it did absolutely no charging on the trip home.

Please help and guide ... hope to hear from the community as to what to do ... many thanks!
 
Welcome cwrubin!

That sounds a bit strange. I recently borrowed a 2016 (waiting for my 2017) from the local dealership and used the paddles and brakes to generate charge. You should be able to get something. Is your dash that shows the car indicating a charge with green lines around the wheels?

I've got a similar question about the differences for paddles and regen braking between the 2016 and 2017 models. There's some real knowledgeable people here, so hopefully you'll get some help.

Regards
Ferster
 
In my 2016, about an hour of freeway driving recharged the battery from empty (red light on battery charge indicator) to full (all led's lit). Subsequently I was able to drive the usual 16-17 miles on EV, although the indicator showed the usual 23 miles. I used charge battery setting, which from what I see is no longer available on 2017 models.
 
If the battery recharged at all during regular hybrid mode driving, it would use so much fuel that it may not achieve claimed fuel economy in the long term. Some people have noted that the 2016's charge mode is good if you are driving in to a zone which requires low emissions vehicles to avoid a toll, but those kinds of zones do not exist in North America. There was a hyper-miler who did a test and found that the charge mode negatively impacts MPG and if you use up your EV mode and then drive in hybrid mode, you will achieve better fuel economy than constantly charging and depleting EV mode.

Technically the e-tron battery is not empty when it shows one bar - it's simply in a sort of hybrid reserve mode of about 2kWh.
 
i mostly understand what you're saying. However, with the supposed elimination of charge mode in 2017, the car becomes a really poor, short range electric vehicle or a really poor short range, underpowered gas engine vehicle with a small gas tank and mediocre mileage. I do not consider the etron to be a hybrid, rather a dual mode vehicle that does limited electric and unimpressive gas, where never the two cross into what a hybrid is .... comments?

While we're at it, does anybody know why Audi did this in 2017, and is there any documentation anywhere that describes/explains the reasoning behind essentially eliminating battery recharge while driving on engine?

Appreciate all contributions ... my best ... Chip
 
What is it?

A really good short trip city car in all electric mode - Best with ready access to a fast charger and the vast majority of trips max 15 miles total of city driving.

A really good longer trip highway car - averages 37/38 mpg hwy with no charge and excellent handling and road feel. It keeps a reserve of electric power that provides plenty of quiet extra torque for hills and passing. Takes a steep 2000' elevation change no problem - however would depleted battery become apparent on bigger climbs?

That said - a nothing special car if not charged and used for short trip city driving - really not what it's designed for with maybe 20 mpg if you're lucky. Our other car is an e-golf - and we really like both cars. The golf electric will go probably easily 6 times the distance with a more powerful motor - but then you're done for the day. Lots of trade offs.
 
This evening I calculated that since I bought gas on January 10th, I've driven 951 miles and I still have more than half a tank of gas. I do mostly short jaunts in town, but maybe that's obvious. Have you tried either putting it in hybrid mode or sport mode if you know your drive is going to outlast your battery power? Today I knew I was going to zero battery power before I could charge, so I put it in sport mode for 5 miles or so. You're be burning gas, but if you're in stop and go traffic, you'll watch a lot of green activity on the computer screen. Plus it's more fun! In other words, I was driving and watching the battery charge and when I approached a traffic light the regenerative brakes came on when I took my foot off the gas pedal. I have a 2016 and I don't really use charge mode.

I don't know about most people but electricity is just over 9 cents a kWh here and there are some places in town that let you charge for free. Playing around with what this car does entertains me enormously.

The only thing that ever freaks me out is when the pre-sense comes on unexpectedly. At least I know it works!
 
Thanks for sharing your experience. It's helpful to get positive feedback. In 2017, Audi apparently removed charge mode as our 2017 Prestige only has EV, Hybrid and Hold. On a 100 mile mostly uphill drive, we ran on EV until battery was empty ... then switched to Hybrid for about 50 miles ... then switched to Hold for the last 40 miles. Upon reaching home, battery was totally empty. Watching the graphic the whole time, the car ran only on the ICE as soon as the battery drained ... no regeneration, no charging. This just doesn't seem like a hybrid to me. Is this normal behavior or might something be wrong?... best regards, Chip
 
I would recommend reading this entire thread (linked below), it has a lot of information on what exactly the modes do in 2017. Understand that the Charge mode kind of defeats the purpose of having a plug-in hybrid, since you're using extra gas (on top of what's needed to drive!) to charge a battery to go 17 miles on all-electric, why not just go on hybrid and use less gas overall. The real way this vehicle shines is if you charge at home and at work, and you may never use much gas.

Hold mode is useless unless you have a charge in the batteries (e.g., it's meant for holding the EV range until you reach a destination that is more useful for it, such as a low emissions zone (european cities) or stop-and-go traffic.

Charge mode is gone, because the laws of physics (currently) don't let you create energy out of nothing while driving, and VW/Audi wants to remain friends with the EPA for obvious reasons...

viewtopic.php?f=10&t=291
 
Yes, from all reports, charge mode is gone in the 2017's.

E-trons are different from other hybrids such as a Prius (which I have 12 years experience with). Most hybrids will show power being added in the display when being driven. Not so much with an e-tron. I don't think I've ever seen power get added except for when I use charge mode on my 2016.

Think of it in terms of battery capacity. Per Wikipedia, a non-plug in Prius has a capacity of 1.3 KWh while an e-tron has 8 KWh, of which 6.6 KWh is usable for US market models. Adding 130 Wh to each car produces a 10% increase on the power level for a Prius and a 1.6% increase for the e-tron. Considering that the e-tron power level display has 8 "bars," each bar is 12.5% of capacity (assuming they are all equal). That 130 Wh you put into the e-tron? It added just over a tenth of a "bar" on the Guess-O-Meter.

Most of my trips are within EV only range so I stick with that. For longer trips (40 miles/64 km or more), I just put it in hybrid mode and drive. No, I don't get 40mi/64km per charge, that's just when I remember to put it into hybrid mode after I've used an entire charge.
 
Chiming in. While I haven't driven it for long drives very often, I believe in Hold mode, any charge to the battery from regen is mostly kept by the battery instead of being used as to propel the electric motor. That's why in 2016 e-trons, when battery is depleted it reverts to Hold mode, and when Sport mode is selected, Hold is automatically selected.

-Ben
 
Quite right ... however, in Hold mode, the engine is running much more, lowering gas mileage, while battery regeneration is minimal at best, with no means to fully charge the battery. I'd be willing to sacrifice mileage if the car still had a charge mode knowing that you could get a full charge on you way to destination where you might want to drive around in EV mode. Alas, Audi took that away from we who held on for 2017's ... extremely sad and disappointing. I would have one big :lol: if Audi could restore the charge mode and make the car closed to being a real plug in hybrid ... like what you all with 2016's have. It appears that quite a few 2017 owners are peeved and even feel deceived.

Does anyone know the guts of the 2017 etron engineering as to whether the charge mode was simply software blocked and disabled or was the charge mode engineered out completely? Through this forum, I appeal to Audi to find a way to restore the charge mode or an effective means of invoking regenerative recharge to be able to fully recharge the battery while driving.
 
Carc":3ez63h6x said:
That said - a nothing special car if not charged and used for short trip city driving - really not what it's designed for with maybe 20 mpg if you're lucky. Our other car is an e-golf - and we really like both cars. The golf electric will go probably easily 6 times the distance with a more powerful motor - but then you're done for the day. Lots of trade offs.

excuse me?

1: a nothing special car... Except the awesome a3 Sportback, the coolest car on the road
2: 20mpg? With 0 charge and equivalent usage to my wifes Prius V, we get the SAME 42mpg.
3: Today, I drove like a total idiot for 20 miles in stop and go traffic in sport mode (starting with no charge). You know..."that guy". I got 35mpg. After my fun, I *gained* 10 miles of range due to braking, charge recouping and the engine constantly running. I finished my drive in EV mode and ended up with 45mpg.

Ive been tracking my mpg in almost every situation, and Im starting to think this car is a software masterpiece.
 
cwrubin":14q8upb1 said:
Thanks for sharing your experience. It's helpful to get positive feedback. In 2017, Audi apparently removed charge mode as our 2017 Prestige only has EV, Hybrid and Hold. On a 100 mile mostly uphill drive, we ran on EV until battery was empty ... then switched to Hybrid for about 50 miles ... then switched to Hold for the last 40 miles. Upon reaching home, battery was totally empty. Watching the graphic the whole time, the car ran only on the ICE as soon as the battery drained ... no regeneration, no charging. This just doesn't seem like a hybrid to me. Is this normal behavior or might something be wrong?... best regards, Chip

You don't have much experience with hybrids. Ive had 2 Prius', Altima Hybrid, Chevy Volt and a Prius V. Driving uphill will never be a miracle. How about this: Driving uphill in the Volt. Battery charge depletes completely and car STOPS. Had to sit on the side of the road for 45 minutes with the ICE running for the car to start moving again. the kids loved that trick. :/ Hybrid Altima was fun as hell to drive, but habitually got 30MPG.

The a3 is a perfectly capable hybrid, with the ability to charge for in-town trips. Its a blast to drive hard, and use wisely. And then the incentives... Its plausible to pay $33k for an AUDI.. the same price I paid for my Golf Sportwagen TDI.
 
Rpgonzalez":mf6f0fni said:
Carc":mf6f0fni said:
That said - a nothing special car if not charged and used for short trip city driving - really not what it's designed for with maybe 20 mpg if you're lucky. Our other car is an e-golf - and we really like both cars. The golf electric will go probably easily 6 times the distance with a more powerful motor - but then you're done for the day. Lots of trade offs.

excuse me?

1: a nothing special car... Except the awesome a3 Sportback, the coolest car on the road
2: 20mpg? With 0 charge and equivalent usage to my wifes Prius V, we get the SAME 42mpg.
3: Today, I drove like a total idiot for 20 miles in stop and go traffic in sport mode (starting with no charge). You know..."that guy". I got 35mpg. After my fun, I *gained* 10 miles of range due to braking, charge recouping and the engine constantly running. I finished my drive in EV mode and ended up with 45mpg.

Ive been tracking my mpg in almost every situation, and Im starting to think this car is a software masterpiece.

Morning,

Is this the 2016 or 2017 model?
 
2017, as said in other threads, will charge from zero charge with dynamic/sport mode and hold mode on. I did it by a fluke initially. I generally avoid it, as I figure it is less efficient overall. For longer trips, it seems that hybrid mode is the way to go. If you want or need EV mode at the end, put it in dynamic/sport/hold.

This thread is another example of why we need FAQs here.
 
So the real question is can the battery be charged at all form the motor in hybrid or hold mode once the charge has reached reserve levels or does it just keep dwindling to absoloute zero at which point you are only on ICE with very poor performance. This would be very antethetical to the Audi brand, but appears to be the case

Regenerative braking only charges so much...sooner or later you will need the engine or grid power .
 
Effectively, I totally disagree ... there is no capability to "recharge" the battery on the 2017 US A3 e-tron Premier ...

(1) CHARGE mode was removed from the 2017 model.

(2) Use of HOLD/DYNAMIC does only marginal charging of the battery to sustain electrical systems, such as AC, and to keep battery capacity to boost ICE performance.

Allow me to define what I mean by "charging the battery" ... restoring the battery to full capacity while driving under ICE power. Of course, there is a likelihood of reduced power, reduced mileage, and, likely, higher pollution during a charging phase ... so what ... I want to recharge the battery while driving with the ICE. Consider this example ... Driving a long distance high speed trip on a highway, wanting to maximum charge the battery when I am nearing my destination to run on electric in town. It is my understanding that this IS what CHARGE mode did in the 2016 model. Can someone please verify?

(3) Hold battery does NOT hold the battery ... it only somewhat does. It is clear that the battery demand from electrical systems depletes battery no matter if in HOLD mode or not. Consider this example ... traveling about 100 miles from northern Arizona to central Arizona, battery fully charged upon departure, car set in HOLD/DYNAMIC mode, trip mostly downhill, speed around 75mph, running AC, battery ends up at 50% capacity at destination ... hardly a HOLD of battery capacity!

I am confident that Audi removed CHARGE mode in 2017 due to power and mileage loss and/or higher pollution levels running only on the ICE. This may have resulted in lower gas mileage and eMPG ratings and possibly jeopardized pollution certifications in a state like California. As a result, Audi took away the CHARGE option from owner discretion to control their mileage and pollution claims as being reliable. Not being able to fully charge the battery while driving is a travesty. Please know that I am a huge A3 sportback fan, from the diesel to the e-tron ... love them all!!! I just want to be able to control truly recharging the battery to full while driving on the ICE.

FYI ... between driving around town and longer trips, as detailed above, long term combined mileage is around 56mpg. The best combined local and highway average on the A3 TDI was around 39mpg.

Comments/Replies are welcomed ... Chip
 
my suspicion is that charge mode was removed to comply with some standard in California or otherwise, and that after the big diesel scandal, Audi is being overly cautious.it probably doesn't help that many Californians were bragging that they never plugged them in and only bought it soon they could use the special Lane.

how many times has a manufacturer actually removed functionality from a vehicle in a succeeding model year. never. Why would you look to see if something like that happened. I wouldn't. I didn't.

They took this option away with no fanfare, and much of the available material on the car came out for the 2016 model, . Most of the driver reviews an official reviews also referred the 2016 model. Even reviews of the 2017 don't mention this. Apparently, car and driver didn't see what a huge deficit in functionality taking that option away would mean and they failed to mention it in their review. It was a huge shock to me when charge mode was not there. it was one of the features that really sold me on the car since, although most of my driving is urban, occasionally I go on long trips or into the country where the charging infrastructure is absent, and I do not want to stop for two hours. I can't imagine giving this thing to my son when he turned 16 and having him try to drive straight through to California with an underpowered car..unfortunately, there's no turning back and I just have to live with the limitations. Very clear why this car is no longer being manufactured. it has a very limited role as a very cool looking commuter vehicle.I did not have an opportunity to drive the car ahead of time as I live in a state where they do not deliver these vehicles, Texas.

absolutely love the thing otherwise. I've used about a gallon gas in one month
 
Totally agree with everything you said ... couldn't have stated the realities any better!!! The early 2017 documentation and reviews were based on 2016. The dealers were not informed by Audi. I was told the 2017 had CHARGE mode, so I ordered the 2017. Curious to discover this misrepresentation at best, fraud more accurately, just after having completed buyback of the A3 TDI from fraud. I demanded the dealership buy the car back, but, after reality set in, there was no other vehicle choice for me. Choosing to keep the vehicle does not mitigate this deception/misrepresentation/fraud, plus anger and disappointment that will weigh on me as long as I have the 2017 A3 e-tron ... sad.
 
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