Very cold winter operation

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frangagn

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May 6, 2016
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Hi guys, lucky owners of the A3 e-tron!

I'm very interested in this car, however do not have a Garage with my house to put it in. When I told this to my salesguy, he said "Don't buy it! It's made to be kept inside in the winter!". What he meant is that after being exposed to temperatures of -25C or less for a couple of hours, the car might not operate at all. And that the car might cease operations when becoming too cold (e.g. you take the highway and with the windshield, it freezes the car).

That's enough to give anyone cold feet! (put intended!) But I'm rather surprised. I owned a Highlander Hybrid (granted, Toyota) who was using more engine than hybrid in the winter time, but still operated!!!

So what is your experience in very low temperature? Can this baby sleep in the driveway?

Thanks for any insight.
 
It works fine for me here in norway.. how cold is "cold" ?

the only issue im aware of is as follows:
the starter cranking the IC engine is the electric engine in the gearbox.
the batteries wont operate when the internal temp of the battery is below -28 degrees celcius.

To remedy this you need to have a charge cable connected when cranking the ic engine at really cold days.

Furthermore im told that if the car is ran once a day so the car can measure the battery params it is possible to start without cable on cold days. due to this i added sat nav to car wich also gives the option to schedule "pre heat car" when you are out of cellphone coverage (when im deep in the forests). i can then using mmi schedule it to warm up once a day and have it run on ic engine for say two hours and then shut down... i have not tested this yet
 
2017 - 2018 winter experiences to date :?:


-13C/9F , the car doesn't default to EV mode anymore :shock: I don't recall the owner's manual saying anything about losing the EV mode in sub zero temperatures.

The northeast is stuck in a bit of arctic weather,and a warmup's not for at least another week,or so into 2018. During the February 2018 snow storm ,the car wasn't having issues gripping as I drove.Snow tires {Pirelli Ice Zero} this time gripped enough in unplowed snow,with ice to accelerate with the help of traction control, relieved. Pre winter service,dealership reinstalled,rotated my tires.


MMI EV mode lost : https://imgur.com/IzLhEWw

CNN article : Frigid weather will usher in the New Year in the Midwest and eastern US
By Ralph Ellis, CNN
Updated 7:21 AM ET, Wed December 27, 2017
http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/26/us/cold-weather-grips-us/index.html
 
Here's a previous post regarding cold weather operation of the e-tron.
viewtopic.php?f=10&t=311

Regarding grip, I'm in the Greater Toronto Area and the temp here has been between -13 C to -24 C this week. Last week we had up to 15 cm of snow accumulation.
I switch between my e-tron and a Mazda 5, both fwd and with winter tires and they both have very similar issues when it comes to traction. This has nothing to do with the car (imo). I actually find the Audi has a bit better grip, probably due to the weight and better ride quality.
 
I'm in Ottawa and in the same deep-freeze (-28C at night, -17 during the day). I have the e-tron in the garage overnight, but it's still -8C in there.

I've been having issues the past few days. First, I noticed that, even in Hybrid or Battery Hold modes, the e-tron motor would barely make any power. If I demanded more than about 20% on the power meter, it would bog-down and then the ICE would engage, and it would start accelerating again. Very weird driving experience.

Today, I started the e-tron (it wasn't charged), and I got a warning on the dash "Electrical System: malfunction! Battery is not being charged. It drove exactly as it did before, with the e-tron motor making very little power (3% indicated battery remaining).

The following startup, the message was gone, but I have a check engine light. Greeeeat. Off to the dealer I go, I guess.

As for traction on ice/snow, it's about the same as any other FWD car I've owned. I definitely prefer my Q5 in this slop.
 
Experiencing -10 to -17 weather in my area as well, and when this cold the electric motors are certainly.. impaired. It seems better once the vehicle/battery warms up, but it is not something I experienced last winter -however I dont think I was doing much if any driving in weather this cold.

So is this an e-tron issue, or an EV issue in general? Kinda disappointing, I sure hope it's not something that worsens with age!



Ian


---
2017 E-Tron Technic
 
I know that the battery has an active cooling system, but from what I've been able to learn it doesn't appear to have an active heating system.

I wonder if cold-weather performance could be improved by timing when you start recharging based on departure time? The goal I have in mind is to start charging so that the battery just finishes charging right before you depart, including cabin warmup would be best.

Charging the battery has a secondary effect of warming up the battery and a warmer battery has more range than a cold battery.

Have any of you super cold-weather folks tried this?

(I used to lease a BMW i3 which would pre-heat/pre-cool the battery (in addition to the cabin) based on departure time. A pre-heated battery worked a lot better in extreme cold.)
 
Experiencing a very unusual cold snap in my area this week. This morning, it was 8F (-13C), and the e-tron would not default to EV mode. After about 10 minutes of driving and idling (low speeds around town), I could switch it to EV without a problem. This level if cold is extremely unusual for us, so I'm not concerned, but it's a good opportunity to experiment with trying to time the end of the battery charge with my departure time tomorrow morning.
 
I'm in Toronto and have experienced the cold snap. I must say I have been very pleased with the performance of the car in the cold weather.

A few observations:

- I haven't had the car default into ICE mode even with temps below -10 C
- I'm on a 120v line and the preheating seems pretty modest
- Car is ok in snow and slush with Michelin XICE tires . Stopping seems good but lots of wheel spin pulling away.
- Rarely the power from the electric motor seemed diminished.


All in all pretty pleased!
 
if temp is below approx -12-15C, Gas engine will start automatically upon pressing the start button. EV will no work until engine has been warmed up. engine will continue to run until proper operation temperature then it will shut itself off. if you start driving, the car will use gas engine exclusively and rev high to 3-3.5 krpm before shifting.
 
Hi, can someone please confirm some things for me as I put a deposit down on a 2016 E tron and now worried it may not start at all in the winter.
I park my car for weeks at a time at Calgary airport where temperatures go below -28c often. My concern now is that when I come back to the lot my car might not even start at all or will the electric mode not work right away? If the gas portion can start that is fine, but not at all is my issue because at those temps it's the last thing I need at the end of my day. My phone doesn't even work to call for help because it's so cold. The airport offers plug ins that work for 15 minutes every 60 minutes at temps below -25c but many people question this reliability. Will this harm or help my car at all?
I've read about the pre warm function? Can I set this up daily while I am away or is it a one time thing?
What do people in Norway do? My sales guy said there are no issues in cold temps so I am a bit shocked to see this here and need to make sure I have a car that works in these extreme conditions.
 
I was also worried about parking my car at the airport for an extended period of time. So two weeks ago I flew to Vancouver (rained all week) and monitored the temperatures back home in London ON. Lots of snow and cold nights -10 to -15C. I had driven the car to the London Airport (drove on Battery Hold) and parked the car with a 3/4 charge. When I returned a week later the car was covered in about a foot of snow and it was cold (-15C, 11:00pm) and I thought oh, oh trouble maybe. I started the car and interestingly the ICE motor also started right away. The battery was still at 3/4 charge. I sat for a bit and the cabin warmed up and then I left the parking lot, at the pay gate I had to get out of the car (my driver side window was frozen) to insert my ticket. When I got back into the car I briefly noticed a message on the digital display saying something about car was in warming mode or words to that effect. Anyway, the car was in good shape after sitting for over a week in cold temperatures in an exposed airport parking lot. It looks like that if the battery is too cold the ICE starts up and eventually the battery is warm enough to function normally.
 
Hi Veggy,
I have a digital copy of the A3 manual for 2016 model, here is relevant reading found:

(page 99)
If the battery charge level is below 3% never park the vehicle for more than 21 days without charging the high-voltage battery. Should you have to park the vehicle for a long time, make sure that the charge level is sufficient to help prevent the battery from aging prematurely.

Should the vehicle be parked for longer than 2 days at temperatures below -25C the high-voltage battery could freeze and not be able to provide energy to the electric motor. The battery will start working again, once it warms up. The battery can be warmed up when the outside temperature rises or when the vehicle is garaged appropriately. The battery will also warm up when being used (switching on the air conditioner, the heater or by driving the vehicle). Should you have to park your vehicle at very low temperatures for longer than 1 day, make sure that the high-voltage battery does not freeze by parking the vehicle in a garage that is heated or protected from the outside temperature.

(page 100)
The vehicle cannot start when the outside temperatures are below -28C

(page 102)
(check engine alert)The outside temperature is too low. The vehicle can no longer start at temperatures below -28C. Contact your authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Facility.

(page 110)
Environmental conditions when using the charging system
-Operating temperature: -25C to 35C
-----------

I couldn't find it in the manual, but I recall reading somewhere that if you kept the car plugged in and scheduled pre-heating to run regularly it would maintain the battery temperature in extreme cold. However the last point on the charging system (and this is the e-tron one, it may be different for other EVSE's) seems to negate that solution..

So maybe someone in a colder climate can give more reassurance (I know there's a couple Ottawa users on here) but in a southern Ontario climate, where I have had only a few -28ish (without windchill) experiences in the last two years, I have not had an issue going to work. The gas engine fires up right away, and the car functions fully on ICE. But while my vehicle sits outside (no garage) it doesnt sit in the same condition for a long period like you're describing.


Ian
 
I parked my car recently at the Toronto airport (Pearson International) for a week and didn't have any issues starting it up when I returned. Granted, I did park in a garage that prevented snow from piling on top of it, but it was still exposed to the sub-zero degree Celsius temperatures. I was able to drive away in EV mode without issue and then I hit the highway and switched to Sport mode (Battery Hold).
 
Deepbank said:
I was also worried about parking my car at the airport for an extended period of time. So two weeks ago I flew to Vancouver (rained all week) and monitored the temperatures back home in London ON. Lots of snow and cold nights -10 to -15C. I had driven the car to the London Airport (drove on Battery Hold) and parked the car with a 3/4 charge. When I returned a week later the car was covered in about a foot of snow and it was cold (-15C, 11:00pm) and I thought oh, oh trouble maybe. I started the car and interestingly the ICE motor also started right away. The battery was still at 3/4 charge. I sat for a bit and the cabin warmed up and then I left the parking lot, at the pay gate I had to get out of the car (my driver side window was frozen) to insert my ticket. When I got back into the car I briefly noticed a message on the digital display saying something about car was in warming mode or words to that effect. Anyway, the car was in good shape after sitting for over a week in cold temperatures in an exposed airport parking lot. It looks like that if the battery is too cold the ICE starts up and eventually the battery is warm enough to function normally.
Click to expand...
It's understandable to be concerned about leaving your car at the airport for an extended period, especially during cold weather. I recently had a similar experience. Two weeks ago, I flew to Vancouver (where it rained all week) and kept an eye on the weather back home in London, ON. The temperatures were quite harsh, with lots of snow and cold nights ranging from -10 to -15°C.

I had driven my car to the London Airport on Battery Hold mode and parked it with a 3/4 charge. When I returned a week later, I found the car covered in about a foot of snow, and it was still very cold (-15°C at 11:00 pm). I was worried I might encounter some trouble starting it up. However, when I started the car, the ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) motor kicked in right away, and the battery was still at 3/4 charge.

After letting the car warm up for a bit, the cabin temperature became comfortable. As I left the parking lot, I had to get out of the car at the pay gate because my driver-side window was frozen. When I got back into the car, I briefly noticed a message on the digital display indicating that the car was in a warming mode or something similar.

In the end, the car was in good shape after sitting for over a week in cold temperatures in an exposed airport parking lot. It seems that if the battery is too cold, the ICE starts up to warm the battery, allowing it to function normally once it’s warm enough. This was a reassuring outcome and shows that the car is well-equipped to handle cold weather conditions even after being parked for an extended period.
 
I don't live in a place that gets that cold but it is nice to hear about how useful the ICE is when it comes to cold weather... Don't forget the cabin heating is essentially free and it sounds like it is also used to heat the HV battery.. :)
 

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