Gasoline engine turns on unexpectedly

[kmarko]

This morning (in realitvely warm, ~20 celsius degrees weather) - after years of reliable drive - my car (Audi a3 etron 2017) started to act weird. At full electric charge and in EV mode, after a short distance travel (100-200m) and a low acceleration the gasoline motor turned on immediately, changed to "battery hold" drive mode, and in the middle panel there was a warning: Drive: Engine required (translated from the original language, hungarian: "Hajtás: Motorműködés szükséges").
After a while (approx 1-2 km-s) the EV mode was available again and I could drive in EV mode ~30 km-s (without gasoline engine).
During the day i recharged the battery.
Afternoon i had a 2 km-s trip, andit all happened again.
Why is it happening? Is it a battery cell issue? What should i do?

 

[SirChargesAlot]

Deleting to post in right section.

 

[dlinkA3]

This morning (in realitvely warm, ~20 celsius degrees weather) - after years of reliable drive - my car (Audi a3 etron 2017) started to act weird. At full electric charge and in EV mode, after a short distance travel (100-200m) and a low acceleration the gasoline motor turned on immediately, changed to "battery hold" drive mode, and in the middle panel there was a warning: Drive: Engine required (translated from the original language, hungarian: "Hajtás: Motorműködés szükséges").
After a while (approx 1-2 km-s) the EV mode was available again and I could drive in EV mode ~30 km-s (without gasoline engine).
During the day i recharged the battery.
Afternoon i had a 2 km-s trip, andit all happened again.
Why is it happening? Is it a battery cell issue? What should i do?

This has happened to us, too, in North America, but only every 3 months or so. We spent a good amount of money to have our local Audi USA dealership investigate, but they found nothing to explain the switch from EV only to battery hold. This appears to be ANOTHER Audi software issue that the company doesn’t care about, since we are now out of warranty, including our extended warranty.

 

[Jacks A3 ET]

IN another thread, a commentor thought that the computer turns on the ICE motor because it has been programed to maintain the fuel system if the engene has not been run often enough. Perhaps to clean the injecters, or assure lubrication to the engine & turbo? I would think if my driving habits never called fo ICE operation, as all out trips are under 15 miles, then the ICE motor would need to be run or problems might occur.

 

[cmc]

It is in the owner's manual. The purpose of it is to relieve pressure build up in the fuel tank if I remember correctly.

 

[dlinkA3]

It is in the owner's manual. The purpose of it is to relieve pressure build up in the fuel tank if I remember correctly.

Interesting. This has happened at different times of the year, both summer and winter. I read our entire 2017 A3 e-tron manual and didn’t see that notation, but it could be the reason, strange that our dealership mechanics didn’t suggest this as the reason for starting in ICE mode when we always have it set for EV mode. Also, it will NOT return to EV mode, after this unwanted ICE operation, UNLESS we stop our Audi and shut it down, wait for a minute or so, then reset to EV mode. None of this really makes sense.

 

[GolfCartDriver]

From the 2018 Manual:

Conditions for electric driving
Applies to: vehicles with plug-in hybrid drive
The EV mode can only be switched on if the following
conditions are met:
- The charge level of the high-voltage battery
must be sufficient .
- The temperature of the high-voltage battery
must be adequate (outside temperatures not
below approximately 14°F / -10°( and not
above 104°F / 40°C)
- The speed must not be higher than approximately 80 mph (130 km/h) .
- Kick-down must not be activated .
- The sport drive mode "S" must not be selected .
EV mode is switched off if one or more of the
conditions are not met. The gasoline engine will
start automatically. The indicator light turns
on as a message in the instrument cluster. The
LED in the 14"1 button and the indicator light
turn off.
Electric drive mode will not continue automati -
cally. Reactivate the EV mode . . .

Tips
It may be necessary for the gasoline engine to
run longer for technical reasons, such as
when condensation accumulates in the engine.
Driving exclusively in electric mode is
not possible in this phase.