Tiptronic in EV Mode

[malbright]

Hi all, I'm a new E Tron owner in the US. I'm still playing around with different drive modes, and I like the regen feel you get in Tiptronic (manual) mode even though I don't have paddle shifters. It seems to me when I use Tiptronic in EV Mode that shifting the gears manually doesn't actually do anything. If I throw the shift lever over and just don't mess with it, the car shifts when it needs to without seeming to rev high or run inefficiently. I get the benefit of the regen feel (one pedal driving) without shifting the gears. Maybe a dumb question, but is the dual clutch transmission not used in EV Mode? Does anyone know if there's anything wrong with driving this way? It doesn't seem to be any less efficient than normal D mode, and might be a little more efficient in my heavy-footed stop-and-go commute.

 

[bruintoo]

I was wondering about this myself. If you wanted strong regeneration when you let go of the accelerator pedal, you can either have it in Sport Mode (but the engine comes on since it's forced to Battery Hold mode) or manual Tiptronic (the car will stay in EV mode). You will also notice that in the onboard display that sometimes it tells you when to upshift with an up arrow next to gear number, e.g. M3^ or M4^, etc. The break lights also come on when you let go of the accelarator pedal during regeneration even without touching the break pedal. Just keep that in mind.
-Ben

Hi all, I'm a new E Tron owner in the US. I'm still playing around with different drive modes, and I like the regen feel you get in Tiptronic (manual) mode even though I don't have paddle shifters. It seems to me when I use Tiptronic in EV Mode that shifting the gears manually doesn't actually do anything. If I throw the shift lever over and just don't mess with it, the car shifts when it needs to without seeming to rev high or run inefficiently. I get the benefit of the regen feel (one pedal driving) without shifting the gears. Maybe a dumb question, but is the dual clutch transmission not used in EV Mode? Does anyone know if there's anything wrong with driving this way? It doesn't seem to be any less efficient than normal D mode, and might be a little more efficient in my heavy-footed stop-and-go commute.

 

[malbright]

I don't ever see an upshift symbol. What country are you in? Wondering if there might be country-specific software differences. I also noticed the owner's manual mentioned some things like an efficiency program that I don't seem to have.

I have noticed up to 65 mph it never shifts itself past 4th gear. I guess the gear ratios are different for the electric motor?

My problem with manually shifting the gears when in EV mode is that there's no feedback or engine response so it's neither fun nor helpful. I'm not technically inclined enough to understand how the DSG transmission works with the electric motor, but I kind of think gear selection might be arbitrary or so controlled by the computer as to make manual shifting pointless. I'm pretty content to just drive around in Tiptronic EV mode when I want to feel the regen effect but not bother shifting, but I'd like to be sure it's not straining the drivetrain.

 

[bruintoo]

USA, CA. I think the "efficiency" program is for regular gas A3. The OBC tells things like how much gas the A/C is using etc.

I don't ever see an upshift symbol. What country are you in? Wondering if there might be country-specific software differences. I also noticed the owner's manual mentioned some things like an efficiency program that I don't seem to have.

I have noticed up to 65 mph it never shifts itself past 4th gear. I guess the gear ratios are different for the electric motor?

My problem with manually shifting the gears when in EV mode is that there's no feedback or engine response so it's neither fun nor helpful. I'm not technically inclined enough to understand how the DSG transmission works with the electric motor, but I kind of think gear selection might be arbitrary or so controlled by the computer as to make manual shifting pointless. I'm pretty content to just drive around in Tiptronic EV mode when I want to feel the regen effect but not bother shifting, but I'd like to be sure it's not straining the drivetrain.

 

[ZetaMSZ006]

We have the same up shift symbol here in Canada as well.

 

[revaric]

The DSG sits behind the electric motor, which sits behind the ICE.

Arguably, you are wasting power by staying in lower gears as you would be wasting fuel when doing so with just an ICE (though admittedly, I do not know if and how wasteful it is with the electric motor).