"charge mode"is gone in 2017

[gonkulator]

I'm pretty sure you're mistaken. You can drive with with any of the driving dynamics settings with "EV mode" plug-in hybrid mode. In fact you can switch from Dynamic, Auto, Comfort or Individual at any time whilst driving in "EV," "Hybrid," "Hold," or in pre-2017 models, "Charge."

With the e-tron, the only option to change for "Individual" driving dynamics is steering (options include Comfort, Dynamic, or Auto). Also driving dynamics is not the what determines aggressive regeneration. Aggressive regen is determined whether the shift gear is in D, S or M.

-Ben

Well, all I know is every time I switch to Dynamic mode, it switches to "Battery Hold" no matter how much charge the battery has.

My apologies, I just tested it and in fact it does switch to Battery Hold after switching to Dynamic mode. To get it back to EV mode I either drive in hold mode for a while or shut down the engine and restart. It will drive in EV with dynamic mode setting if started that way, since this is my usual configuration.

Yeah, it is still a bit confusing. I will switch to Dynamic mode, and it goes to "Battery Hold" and "Sport" mode, with "S" and "Dynamic" showing on the left display. I know it is in that mode due to the ICE being on and the regeneration being aggressive. If I then switch back to EV mode it goes from "S" to "D," the ICE turns off, and regeneration goes back to mild, or whatever they call it. The odd part is that "Dynamic" still displays on the left screen. That seems to me a bug, unless perhaps it is intended that the steering is still left in Dynamic mode (I haven't paid close attention to the steering feel yet) but the Engine/Trans goes back to EV and D. But that would seem odd, given that if I wanted that I could set it in Individual mode.

 

[RandyG]

This seems to be standard Audi behavior when switching to Dynamic mode. In our S4 if I use the MMI (or dashboard mode selector) to choose Dynamic it will set the steering and engine sound to Dynamic and put the car in sport mode. I can leave it in Dynamic and put it back into D and from there the car will stay in Dynamic when started - but not in sport mode. The same is true for the eTron and Dynamic, so I'd suggest just setting it and re-selecting "D" if that's the steering mode you like.

I've been driving a Canadian 2016 model for a year now and like the fact that it starts in EV mode since I get just get right in and go, then worry about changing modes once I'm on the road if I need to. Most of my trips are short, so it's also beneficial to my driving style.

 

[RandyG]

There seems to be a lot of confusion about how the various modes work, here's how it is for my Canadian 2016 model.

EV mode is pretty straightforward, the car runs on battery only. The car starts in this mode by default, as long as the battery pack is warmer than -10C. Colder than that and it will start the ICE no matter what.

Hybrid mode will prefer using the battery under a certain % of load and will turn on the gas engine only when asked for more than that. So if you're starting from a stoplight or going under ~25mph you can request roughly 20% of the power and not engage the engine, however as you speed up eventually the gas engine will kick on with very little throttle input. It's nothing like the hybrid mode from something like a Prius, which is more like our Hold mode. There is a meter in the 2016 models with a little bar that shows how much throttle input you're giving, and where the threshold is for the ICE coming on. It changes with speed and isn't very useful if you're driving on the highway (unless it's heavy stop-go traffic) where you might as well be in battery hold mode. In this mode the battery is not used when accelerating with the ICE.

Hold Mode will let you creep around the parking lot or move forward in traffic but will engage the ICE with very little throttle input. This mode engages when the battery is drained or when Sport mode is selected. The battery isn't used when accelerating with the ICE unless in Sport mode.

Charge mode (removed from 2017 models) charges the battery with the ICE, unless at a stop. Acceleration is a bit slower, but highway performance feels normal.

In my car I've never seen an increase in battery charge when using EV, Hold (unless in Sport), or Hybrid modes. As long as the ICE is warmed up it will turn off when coasting or when stopped. If the ICE starts and it cold, it will run until it is warmed up, in any mode and will lock out EV mode until it is warmed up. This can be bypassed by turning the car off and on again. Opening the door and exiting the vehicle while in park will turn off the car unless the ICE is running. You can also get around this by keeping the seatbelt plugged in when you get out.

Sport mode will put the car into Battery Hold mode and use the battery to supplement the ICE when accelerating. It also has the most aggressive regeneration and can be used for one-pedal driving. It can recharge the battery, however I'm not sure of the threshold. The ICE will turn off when stopped or when slowing, but does stay on longer than in any other mode. The amount of regenerative braking depends on how charged your battery is. I've noticed when my battery is mostly full the regen is fairly light, but when it's down to 50% or less it's quite strong.

Hope this helps demystify the modes, and could be a good comparison for those with 2017+ models.

 

[gonkulator]

There seems to be a lot of confusion about how the various modes work, here's how it is for my Canadian 2016 model.

EV mode is pretty straightforward, the car runs on battery only. The car starts in this mode by default, as long as the battery pack is warmer than -10C. Colder than that and it will start the ICE no matter what.

Hybrid mode will prefer using the battery under a certain % of load and will turn on the gas engine only when asked for more than that. So if you're starting from a stoplight or going under ~25mph you can request roughly 20% of the power and not engage the engine, however as you speed up eventually the gas engine will kick on with very little throttle input. It's nothing like the hybrid mode from something like a Prius, which is more like our Hold mode. There is a meter in the 2016 models with a little bar that shows how much throttle input you're giving, and where the threshold is for the ICE coming on. It changes with speed and isn't very useful if you're driving on the highway (unless it's heavy stop-go traffic) where you might as well be in battery hold mode. In this mode the battery is not used when accelerating with the ICE.

Hold Mode will let you creep around the parking lot or move forward in traffic but will engage the ICE with very little throttle input. This mode engages when the battery is drained or when Sport mode is selected. The battery isn't used when accelerating with the ICE unless in Sport mode.

Charge mode (removed from 2017 models) charges the battery with the ICE, unless at a stop. Acceleration is a bit slower, but highway performance feels normal.

In my car I've never seen an increase in battery charge when using EV, Hold (unless in Sport), or Hybrid modes. As long as the ICE is warmed up it will turn off when coasting or when stopped. If the ICE starts and it cold, it will run until it is warmed up, in any mode and will lock out EV mode until it is warmed up. This can be bypassed by turning the car off and on again. Opening the door and exiting the vehicle while in park will turn off the car unless the ICE is running. You can also get around this by keeping the seatbelt plugged in when you get out.

Sport mode will put the car into Battery Hold mode and use the battery to supplement the ICE when accelerating. It also has the most aggressive regeneration and can be used for one-pedal driving. It can recharge the battery, however I'm not sure of the threshold. The ICE will turn off when stopped or when slowing, but does stay on longer than in any other mode. The amount of regenerative braking depends on how charged your battery is. I've noticed when my battery is mostly full the regen is fairly light, but when it's down to 50% or less it's quite strong.

Hope this helps demystify the modes, and could be a good comparison for those with 2017+ models.

Now this is the kind of post that should be in a sticky. Thanks for that.

 

[MSMatt]

I've noticed while driving in Sport Mode, when I take my foot off the gas pedal, the "boost" meter shows the maximum amount of regenerative charging i.e. the needle is at about the 7 o'clock position.

I checked it in Normal Mode - just coasting had the needle mid-way into "charge" region at the 8 o'clock position, and with medium pressure on the brake pedal I could get the needle into maximum charge at the 7 o'clock position.

I'm wondering if you get the same amount of recovered energy either way. In regular mode you modulate the regenerative braking with the brake pedal, in sport mode you do it with the gas pedal.

The other thing I find interesting is the transmission still changes it's shift points, even when in pure EV mode. I was on the highway at a constant speed of (100km/hr) in sport mode and the display showed M4 gear selected. Then I moved the shifter to the left for normal mode. Nothing felt different, but when I move it back to sport mode (just to see which gear it was in), the display showed it had selected M6 gear, at the same speed, still EV.

- 2017 Progressiv (Canadian model)
- Cosmos Blue

 

[andymccrory]

Due to the way that electric motors operate, it should not matter which gear it drives in.
I believe that the gearbox changes even in EV mode so that if the ICE kicks in it is already in the correct gear.

BTW - whilst the e-tron electric motor drives through the gearbox my previous Chevy Volt had no gearbox so the electric motors ran at the same ratio at 1mph as it did at 100mph! It can do this because the ICE in the Volt purely generates electricity, it does not drive the wheels.

 

[arne]

It can do this because the ICE in the Volt purely generates electricity, it does not drive the wheels.

I believe this may no longer be true for the second generation Volt.

 

[andymccrory]

Thanks for the clarification arne.

Only the first generation Volt was sold in UK.

 

[Watsongrg]

There seems to be a lot of confusion about how the various modes work, here's how it is for my Canadian 2016 model.

EV mode is pretty straightforward, the car runs on battery only. The car starts in this mode by default, as long as the battery pack is warmer than -10C. Colder than that and it will start the ICE no matter what.

Hybrid mode will prefer using the battery under a certain % of load and will turn on the gas engine only when asked for more than that. So if you're starting from a stoplight or going under ~25mph you can request roughly 20% of the power and not engage the engine, however as you speed up eventually the gas engine will kick on with very little throttle input. It's nothing like the hybrid mode from something like a Prius, which is more like our Hold mode. There is a meter in the 2016 models with a little bar that shows how much throttle input you're giving, and where the threshold is for the ICE coming on. It changes with speed and isn't very useful if you're driving on the highway (unless it's heavy stop-go traffic) where you might as well be in battery hold mode. In this mode the battery is not used when accelerating with the ICE.

Hold Mode will let you creep around the parking lot or move forward in traffic but will engage the ICE with very little throttle input. This mode engages when the battery is drained or when Sport mode is selected. The battery isn't used when accelerating with the ICE unless in Sport mode.

Charge mode (removed from 2017 models) charges the battery with the ICE, unless at a stop. Acceleration is a bit slower, but highway performance feels normal.


.

How do Hybrid Mode and Hold Mode characteristics change when the battery plug-in charge is depleted ?

 

[andymccrory]

Based on a year's e-tron driving experience, I think that Hybrid Hold would keep the battery depleted, whereas Hybrid Auto would top up the battery slightly and you may see two white bars on the gauge.

 

[rickbessex]

I've noticed while driving in Sport Mode, when I take my foot off the gas pedal, the "boost" meter shows the maximum amount of regenerative charging i.e. the needle is at about the 7 o'clock position.

I checked it in Normal Mode - just coasting had the needle mid-way into "charge" region at the 8 o'clock position, and with medium pressure on the brake pedal I could get the needle into maximum charge at the 7 o'clock position.

I'm wondering if you get the same amount of recovered energy either way. In regular mode you modulate the regenerative braking with the brake pedal, in sport mode you do it with the gas pedal.

The other thing I find interesting is the transmission still changes it's shift points, even when in pure EV mode. I was on the highway at a constant speed of (100km/hr) in sport mode and the display showed M4 gear selected. Then I moved the shifter to the left for normal mode. Nothing felt different, but when I move it back to sport mode (just to see which gear it was in), the display showed it had selected M6 gear, at the same speed, still EV.

- 2017 Progressiv (Canadian model)
- Cosmos Blue

I really prefer to have the number and the letter displayed together, there is a way to have both S and D emulate what you see in the M status. Ie M1, M2 M3 etc. I have programmed my car so I see S1 S2 S3 .... and likewise in D ie D1,D2, D3 etc

 

[rickbessex]

I've noticed while driving in Sport Mode, when I take my foot off the gas pedal, the "boost" meter shows the maximum amount of regenerative charging i.e. the needle is at about the 7 o'clock position.

I checked it in Normal Mode - just coasting had the needle mid-way into "charge" region at the 8 o'clock position, and with medium pressure on the brake pedal I could get the needle into maximum charge at the 7 o'clock position.

I'm wondering if you get the same amount of recovered energy either way. In regular mode you modulate the regenerative braking with the brake pedal, in sport mode you do it with the gas pedal.

The other thing I find interesting is the transmission still changes it's shift points, even when in pure EV mode. I was on the highway at a constant speed of (100km/hr) in sport mode and the display showed M4 gear selected. Then I moved the shifter to the left for normal mode. Nothing felt different, but when I move it back to sport mode (just to see which gear it was in), the display showed it had selected M6 gear, at the same speed, still EV.

- 2017 Progressiv (Canadian model)
- Cosmos Blue

 

[rickbessex]

Here's mine, Canadian early 2016 model. This is from "Address 5F" in the autoscan, module 9 is central electronics, so I'm not sure if this is exactly what you're looking for...

Module 9 (Central Electronics) coding: 04151C46C25106FD41CC5004531407A80800000000000000000000000000

Address 5F: Information Electr. (J794) Labels: 8V0-035-MIB-HGH1.clb
Part No SW: 8V0 035 047 B HW: 8V0 035 047 B
Component: MU-H-NS-US H43 0394
Serial number: A052F0FB006866
Coding: 017393020000000021220002041A00002F000124010001047E
Shop #: WSC 06314 790 00021
ASAM Dataset: EV_MUHig6C3HBAS 001040
ROD: EV_MUHig6C3HBAS_AU37.rod
VCID: 336F32D79AEE24DA04-8066

Data medium:
Subsystem 1 - Part No SW: V03 959 800 SS HW: -----------
Component: NAR 2015 --- 0035
Serial number: --------------------

Display unit 1 for multimedia system:
Subsystem 2 - Part No SW: 8V0 919 604 C HW: 8V0 919 604 C
Component: DU High H49 0014
Serial number: AUZ8Z9FY2044Y3

Multimedia Operating Unit:
Subsystem 3 - Part No SW: 8V0 919 614 L HW: 8V0 919 614 L
Component: ControlUnit_H H81 0816
Serial number: C1000008081500030202

Compact Disc Database:
Subsystem 4 - Part No SW: V03 959 800 EG HW: -----------
Component: Gracenote --- 3006
Serial number: --------------------

Has anyone figured out how to add the removed charge mode feature to the 2017/2018 A3 E Tron model???

 

[Nuje]

I really prefer to have the number and the letter displayed together, there is a way to have both S and D emulate what you see in the M status. Ie M1, M2 M3 etc. I have programmed my car so I see S1 S2 S3 .... and likewise in D ie D1,D2, D3 etc

Oh - please; DO SHARE!!!

Given my affinity for manual transmissions, I ALWAYS want to know what gear I'm in (even if I'm not shifting to it).

 

[rickbessex]

Oh - please; DO SHARE!!!

Given my affinity for manual transmissions, I ALWAYS want to know what gear I'm in (even if I'm not shifting to it).

i have an obd11 and its one of the many changes one can make with the device.....its quite a device....i had to get a new battery for my s7 and they talk about how one needs to adapt it..well this device will do that in a few seconds to save about a 200 dealer fee for same. i also increased the temp on the heated steering wheel; the list of things you can change goes on and on...my fav is the gear number along the mode as described above

 

[Nuje]

Yes - I have VCDS which has all of the same functionality (and then some). The difference being there aren't preset "capabilities" which you enable, but rather specific adaptations and coding changes (modifying bits and bytes within the modules) to enable, or disable, or change those "capabilities".

I see you have a 2017 or 2018, though (?). And I'm guessing with the Virtual Cockpit - which probably makes it possible on your car but not mine (2016, where VC was not available).

 

[rickbessex]

Yes - I have VCDS which has all of the same functionality (and then some). The difference being there aren't preset "capabilities" which you enable, but rather specific adaptations and coding changes (modifying bits and bytes within the modules) to enable, or disable, or change those "capabilities".

I see you have a 2017 or 2018, though (?). And I'm guessing with the Virtual Cockpit - which probably makes it possible on your car but not mine (2016, where VC was not available).

A VCDS good on you!

i have pre-cockpit Audis s5/s7 and then others with (Q7,SQ5 and 2018 A3 e) ....all can be programmed with adaptions etc with OBD11 to show gear number...among many other adjustments

you mention preset, kinda got me lost as i haven't see much in terms of present capabilities but im unclear what you mean...the obd11 allows those coding changes as you noted within the modules of course. That its purpose

 

[Nuje]

I thought (never having used one) that one of the big upsides of OBDeleven (compared to VCDS, for example) is that you can buy one-click features like "enable fog lights as DRL", instead of having to go through the multiple steps of changing a number of different adaptation channels on multiple Leuchte channels (if messing around with lights, as in my example.....which I don't know exists or doesn't exist as a "one-click" feature).

So - since it sounds like you didn't do that (one-click enabling of that feature)....what adaptations did you make in (I'm assuming...?) Module 17 (Instruments).

 

[rickbessex]

I started off with purchasing 100 credits and then with those credits use their Shortcuts or as you call them one click solution. But that kind of burn through 100 credits pretty fast even though a lot of them are only 10 credits. Yes, that’s how many changes to the car I’ve been finding.and it’s not too difficult to do it yourself so I’ve been doing it myself to save on credits ever since with slight adjustments to the modules as you point out.

For Which ever specific change you want I would google the change and find The specific module and modification you want. For example, a heated steering wheel , I changed the default temperature from 34 Celsius to 41 Celsius because the steering wheel in my opinion wasn’t hot enough.

I would Google popular tricks or tweaks in an OBD 11 for the make model year of whatever you wanna do. I’ve kind of lost track of all the adjustments I’ve made and I’ve had my OBD 11 for just over one year. And instead of buying credit, you buy a subscription for a year, but it’s not that expensive with unlimited to make tweaks and especially important if you want to service your vehicle yourself. It’s paid for itself many times over the simple adoption of a new battery 12 V, save me hundreds.