Audi A3 e-tron

[Kandiru]

They could hook it up to a TDI engine and call it a Diesel-electric locomotive, LMFAO.

Now seriously the new Volt works like the Diesel-electric locomotives and mining megatrucks
in that the ICE is solely a generator of electricity.

The Chevy Volt cannot be an EREV, as it is not battery only, but knowing the squareheads at GM
that bankrupted SAAB and got bailed out by politicians, I am not surprised.

 

[Ocelot]

I currently have an a3.. And love it. Even if the new a3 rocks my socks off...I do not think I could morally justify supporting audi anymore. It kinda sucks.

 

[11thIndian]

I just picked up my A3 e-tron on Friday. I did it as a 4yr lease so it lines up with when the Model Y would probably reach the Canadian market.

I think how you view this car is going to be entirely dependant on what you're driving pattern is like. When I saw the pure EV range I was very skeptical. But then I started taking a hard look at what my driving looks like. It turns out my everyday driving pretty much entirely fits within the EV range of the A3. Kid to school. Dog to the park. Gym. Grocery Store. Parents place. I can do all this stuff. Anything I might do 7 days a week on nothing but electric.

On average every 4-6 weeks we do a round trip multi-100km drive. Everything I've read, and from my limited experience over the last few days, say should be able to get 90mpg+, OR 2.5L/100km or less. I've seen guys on the A3 forums getting in the 140mpg, and putting gas in their tanks only once every coupe of months.

To their distinct credit, the first question out of my Audi dealers mouth was "tell me about what your regular driving is like". At least this dealer wasn't looking to sell the car to just anyone.

I definitely want to go fulll electric- but for now this seems like a pretty good compromise (for me).

 

[PeterHG]

My wife has been in an A3 e-tron for about a year, driving ~25 miles/day, almost all of them full electric. It's been great for her. Good luck!

 

[11thIndian]

Thanks. Right now I'm still figuring out the different drive modes and their relative benefits. I think I'm going to be hyper nervous about range for a few weeks until I figure out what my regular commutes really do to the estimated range.

Plus right now I'm only charging using a standard 120V outlet until I can get the electrician to put in the 240V Plug at the driveway. I can easily charge overnight now. But once the 240V is in I'll be able to do mid-day top-ups in probably about an hour.

Too bad no Level3. It could probably fill this small battery in 10 minutes!

 

[AnxietyRanger]

Congrats on the new car @11thIndian.

I was quite a lot into Audis (and other Germans) before Tesla - still own a couple - and the A3 e-tron certainly was something I've looked at with interest. The performance and lack of AWD are not that interesting from my perspective, but otherwise it is an interesting small car nevertheless. I look forward to hearing your reporting.

 

[ggr]

Too bad no Level3. It could probably fill this small battery in 10 minutes!

Actually, probably not. To fill a small battery at 50kW or greater would probably exceed its tolerances for heat and/or degradation.

 

[11thIndian]

I hadn't thought about that. I think things will be fine once I get the 240V installed. 2h15m from empty is what I'm hearing, so midday charging on most days for me (if I need it) should only be an hour.

 

[PeterHG]

Thanks. Right now I'm still figuring out the different drive modes and their relative benefits. I think I'm going to be hyper nervous about range for a few weeks until I figure out what my regular commutes really do to the estimated range.

Plus right now I'm only charging using a standard 120V outlet until I can get the electrician to put in the 240V Plug at the driveway. I can easily charge overnight now. But once the 240V is in I'll be able to do mid-day top-ups in probably about an hour.

Too bad no Level3. It could probably fill this small battery in 10 minutes!

We've found the best mode for both efficiency and drive quality is pure electric--no surprise.

I'm confused about why you would be hyper nervous about range. The one advantage of e-tron is that as soon as you run out of battery power--after about 25 miles--the car switches seamlessly to ICE, giving you hundreds of miles in range and the ability to fill up at a gas station.

 

[11thIndian]

We've found the best mode for both efficiency and drive quality is pure electric--no surprise.

I'm confused about why you would be hyper nervous about range. The one advantage of e-tron is that as soon as you run out of battery power--after about 25 miles--the car switches seamlessly to ICE, giving you hundreds of miles in range and the ability to fill up at a gas station.

You're absolutely right- I'm not worried about getting where I'm going per-se. But my goal for the e-tron is that it should be able to satisfy all of our regular local driving needs on EV alone, with the hybrid mode needed only for occasional longer drives. I did a lot of work figuring out where we go on a daily basis, and places we might even go once a week. And they all seemed to be within the conservative end of the range (30kms), with perhaps once or twice a week of mid-peak charging top-ups if needed. We'll see this week whether reality matches my math on this

I'm loving the car so far.

 

[miimura]

It's called Gas Anxiety. It's the anticipation of the dread you feel when the gas engine starts up after exhausting the little-bit-too-small battery a short distance from your next charging station.

 

[11thIndian]

With no rapid charging, the number of spots (around here anyway) where I'd be stopped for a half an hour or hour to top up are pretty limited. If we're out in a certain direction doing other stuff, there's an IKEA that has several EV plug-in spots, and that's next door to a grocery store which would be nice some of the time. But if more grocery stores or malls around here had a few spots for EVs, then it would certainly expand our local range if we're out doing a whole day of running around.

 

[11thIndian]

So, after my first week with the car- still on the tank I left the dealership with.

Odometer- 810km
Hybrid Range Remaining- 210km

I haven't turned on the gas engine for two days. Though I have been considering one concession. I live right at the bottom of the Niagara escarpment, and do notice I take a big range hit every time I go up the 100m hill (from 42km down to 35km by the time I'm at flat grade at the top). Thinking I could extend my daily EV range if I put it into Hybrid Hold to go up, then switch over to EV. This isn't so important cause I don't think I'm gonna make it to the gym and back, but if I make two stops- I'm only left with about 10-15km for the rest of the day.

 

[ggr]

So, after my first week with the car- still on the tank I left the dealership with.

Odometer- 810km
Hybrid Range Remaining- 210km

I haven't turned on the gas engine for two days. Though I have been considering one concession. I live right at the bottom of the Niagara escarpment, and do notice I take a big range hit every time I go up the 100m hill (from 42km down to 35km by the time I'm at flat grade at the top). Thinking I could extend my daily EV range if I put it into Hybrid Hold to go up, then switch over to EV. This isn't so important cause I don't think I'm gonna make it to the gym and back, but if I make two stops- I'm only left with about 10-15km for the rest of the day.

That makes no sense... intentionally burning petrol to hold battery charge that you may or may not need. And if your battery is nearly full at the top of the hill, you won't get all the regeneration on the way back down (like, "oh, forgot my cellphone... turn around").

 

[bxr140]

Agree, it doesn't make sense. If you need to use the ice, do it at the end of the day only if you have to use it.

 

[11thIndian]

Ok. Just a thought. Absolutely right that if I'm consistently left with charge at the end of the day I haven't gained anything. We'll see how that goes after another week or so of driving.

Having the 240V plug will make a lot of difference.