I know this is a dumb question but I have an etron sportback and am unable to set the charging timer to start charging at 12am. I have tried everything and no matter what I set the charger to, as soon as I plug in the charger it starts charging (slow flashing green light). Would really appreciate it if someone can help me figure this out! Thx
How to set charging timer for etron
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LOL. This is absolutely NOT a dumb question. The way the timers work in the etron is not straightforward and is poorly documented. Firstly, you CANNOT set a timer based upon the time you want the charging to START. You set the timer by inputting your desired DEPARTURE TIME. For example, if you set the timer to 12am, the car will start to charge so that charging is COMPLETED by 12am.
Secondly, once you have set up a timer, to use it you must first enable it from the MMI shutdown screen. Let's say you have a timer set up the way you want using the MyAudi app. If that is a timer you want to use sometime, then you need to "activate" it in the app with the slider. However, this DOES NOT "enable" the timer to actually work. It only tells your car that this is a timer you might want to use sometime. After that, with the etron running, when you turn off the car a "shutdown screen" appears. On that screen, you will see that "activated" timer option appearing. You need to press the icon by that timer so that a red bar appears above the icon. That will enable the timer. Now, when you get out of the car and plug in the charging cable, the light will slowly pulse white a few times while it is negotiating with the car and then it will start to rapidly blink green, indicating it is waiting for the timer. Now the car will wait until it estimates it needs to start charging so that it will be finished by Departure Time.
You have the option to also "condition (heat/cool) the cabin" as part of the timer set up. If you select that, then about 20 minutes before the Departure Time, the car will begin to condition the cabin, while periodically pulling more current from the wall to replenish the battery. So, in the end, when you head out you have a Conditioned Cabin AND a fully charged battery.
Secondly, once you have set up a timer, to use it you must first enable it from the MMI shutdown screen. Let's say you have a timer set up the way you want using the MyAudi app. If that is a timer you want to use sometime, then you need to "activate" it in the app with the slider. However, this DOES NOT "enable" the timer to actually work. It only tells your car that this is a timer you might want to use sometime. After that, with the etron running, when you turn off the car a "shutdown screen" appears. On that screen, you will see that "activated" timer option appearing. You need to press the icon by that timer so that a red bar appears above the icon. That will enable the timer. Now, when you get out of the car and plug in the charging cable, the light will slowly pulse white a few times while it is negotiating with the car and then it will start to rapidly blink green, indicating it is waiting for the timer. Now the car will wait until it estimates it needs to start charging so that it will be finished by Departure Time.
You have the option to also "condition (heat/cool) the cabin" as part of the timer set up. If you select that, then about 20 minutes before the Departure Time, the car will begin to condition the cabin, while periodically pulling more current from the wall to replenish the battery. So, in the end, when you head out you have a Conditioned Cabin AND a fully charged battery.
That's a good description. I would add to it that, when you shut the car down, the driver's door must be closed otherwise you don't get that intermediate 'shutdown screen'.
I'd also suggest that, while getting used to the process, you only use the car's MMI to set up charges. Use the app when you're comfortable with using the MMI. The reason being that the App is one layer removed from the charging process. They both achieve the same goals but differently and the car's MMI is more fundamental.
Bear with it, the flexibility of the e-tron's charging process is excellent but it get's a lot of stick as people don't invest the time to understand it.
I'd also suggest that, while getting used to the process, you only use the car's MMI to set up charges. Use the app when you're comfortable with using the MMI. The reason being that the App is one layer removed from the charging process. They both achieve the same goals but differently and the car's MMI is more fundamental.
Bear with it, the flexibility of the e-tron's charging process is excellent but it get's a lot of stick as people don't invest the time to understand it.
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I would second this, it has some very sophisticated features which add a lot of value to the charging experience.
The problem is that, out of necessity, it has also had to be designed to cater for casual users who have no detailed interest in such things. This means that (generally) any mistake in setting things up will default to an immediate charge so that nobody is left stranded.
Stick with it, it's worth it.
If you're wanting to charge between a certain time period due to cheaper electricity then it's doable but not simple.
So as already mentioned the logic of the system is to be completed by the time you set, and normally won't start charging until it decides it needs to.
However if you also add a charging location, e.g. Home and set the preferred time window for that location then the etron will always charge during this window, stop at the end of the window, and if it needs to it'll then resume charging in order to meet target for the departure time programmed unless it calculates it needs to start before in order to meet the 'departure time' timer. I get round this by setting my departure timer for 11PM for my 00:30-04:30 charge window and it always starts and stops charging exactly when it should.
So as already mentioned the logic of the system is to be completed by the time you set, and normally won't start charging until it decides it needs to.
However if you also add a charging location, e.g. Home and set the preferred time window for that location then the etron will always charge during this window, stop at the end of the window, and if it needs to it'll then resume charging in order to meet target for the departure time programmed unless it calculates it needs to start before in order to meet the 'departure time' timer. I get round this by setting my departure timer for 11PM for my 00:30-04:30 charge window and it always starts and stops charging exactly when it should.
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That will certainly keep the charging within the desired window (I assume that your 11pm scheduled departure setting is simply to keep it so far in advance of your true intended departure time that it will wait until a short while before finishing the charge and by then you will be gone).
But what happens if you start with say 10% , get an additional 35% from your 4 hour window (=45%) but really need 80%? It is not going to reach your desired charge level before you depart at your earlier intended time.
But what happens if you start with say 10% , get an additional 35% from your 4 hour window (=45%) but really need 80%? It is not going to reach your desired charge level before you depart at your earlier intended time.
I've found that the behaviour in the preferred charging window is a little more nuanced. Even if the car can fully charge in the window, if the departure time is set for later on, the car will deliberately not fully charge in the window but will leave ~20 minutes worth which it will attempt to do just before departure. Thus trying to ensure a warm battery for the start of the journey.
I find this is useful in winter as a cold battery struggles.
I reckon about 80% of days need less than the four hours of cheap charging I get with Go.
I find this is useful in winter as a cold battery struggles.
The theory behind bkehoe's tactic is sound. Of course, you have to assess the SOC and the next day's journey when deciding to use it or not. Otherwise just pull down one of the other options and take it from there.
I reckon about 80% of days need less than the four hours of cheap charging I get with Go.
CC, yeah that's right - I found the trick somewhere else on this forum a while back. Hopefully getting a proper charge point fitted soon though so won't need to resort to tricking the car!
Well if I really need a large charge for a specific trip then I would just change the departure time in the app to reflect the intended real departure time and then just accept the higher electricity charges outside of the cheap tariff window.
Well if I really need a large charge for a specific trip then I would just change the departure time in the app to reflect the intended real departure time and then just accept the higher electricity charges outside of the cheap tariff window.
This post, by any chance?
I'm effectively doing this now as I've told my Pod Point charger to only give electricity out between 00:30 and 00:40 hrs. It makes things a little more complicated if I need to charge more as I potentially have to tell the Pod Point to allow electricity always and tell the car to control its uptake rather than just get what it's given.
To be honest, I'm fine with all this malarkey but, when I try to explain it to the wife she just looks at me like I'm daft.
But this goes back to what I was saying above, the e-tron is capable of very flexible charging satisfying thus who want to utterly minimise cost, those who want a consistently charged car every morning and those who want that and a warm battery and cabin. To get this flexibility you have to expend a bit of effort. The customer has the choice.
I would guess you are enabling your Pod Point for more than 10 minutes (00:30 to 00:40 hrs)
Typo?
Ha - err, yes!
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Thanks, JNealCox for that tip about pressing that icon by the timer so that the "red bar" appears above the icon. It was driving me crazy that the charger would start charging immediately once I plug it to the car before its set preferred time. OMG, Audi need to do a better job on explaining how to set charging time. Thanks again!
Believe me, I shared your frustration when I first got my etron!
I have never owned an EV so the electrician's are coming soon to run the wires for the home charger. I bought both a Juicebox 40 and a Chargepoint just to see which one works better. I thought that you could program the charger (not through the car through the chargers phone app) to start charging at certain times. Is my assumption incorrect? Or does it have to be done through the car?
If you are using the Audi-provided compact EVSE, setting up a timer using the MyAudi app is possible. I do it all the time. It takes some time to figure out how it works though: it requires you to specify the DEPARTURE time, rather than a charging START time: it will start charging based upon the time you want the car to be ready to leave. Also, you set up timers in the app and "enable" them, but to "activate" them to actually use you must do that in the car: when you shut down the car, a shutdown screen appears and you will see a listing for the next available timer (time-wise) that you enabled in the App. You must press the icon to the left of that listing until a red bar appears.
Using the in-car timing features while using a Brand charger (Juicebox or Chargepoint, eg) is more complicated. those boxes have their own timer systems and apps, so they can get in each others way. I think most people with Brand chargers just use the Brand charger's features and don't bother with the in-car features. Can't help there much, since I've always used the Audi EVSE.
Make sure the electrician installs a 50A circuit. Code requires that a 40A device be on a 50A house circuit.
Using the in-car timing features while using a Brand charger (Juicebox or Chargepoint, eg) is more complicated. those boxes have their own timer systems and apps, so they can get in each others way. I think most people with Brand chargers just use the Brand charger's features and don't bother with the in-car features. Can't help there much, since I've always used the Audi EVSE.
Make sure the electrician installs a 50A circuit. Code requires that a 40A device be on a 50A house circuit.
I have a JuiceBox 40. From the JuiceBox app, you can set two timers - one for weekdays and one for weekends. It's pretty simple, you set a time to start charging and a time to stop charging. I don't use this feature, but I assume what it does is shut off the power to the vehicle outside of the charging window. So if the vehicle reaches its target state of charge (SOC) during the charging window, it will stop charging. If it doesn't reach the target SOC, then the JuiceBox will cut off power to the vehicle and force it to stop charging at the end of the charging window. This makes sense if you're more concerned about avoiding times of day with higher electricity rates than you are about reaching the target SOC. My electricity rates don't change with time of day, so I will only use this timer if our utility asks users to conserve energy which they sometimes do during the hottest summer afternoons. In that case, I might set the JuiceBox timer to allow charging from 10:00pm to 6:00am then plug in the vehicle set to charge to 80% through MMI or the MyAudi app. In that case, charging would begin at 10:00pm and end at 80% SOC or 6:00am - whichever occurs first.
The JuiceBox has a separate function that allows you to enter the starting range in miles and the target range in miles. Note that you have to enter these figures manually because Level 2 EVSEs do not know what the vehicle's SOC is at any given time, and they only know the theoretical range rather than the vehicle's guess-o-meter range which is always changing. Presumably this function will turn the power to the vehicle off when the EVSE has determined that the target range has been achieved. I don't use this function because a) you have to manually input the starting range, b) both the starting range and the target range vary due to ambient temperature and the efficiency of your recent trips and the EVSE doesn't account for this and c) I'd rather think in terms of percentage SOC than range because that's how Audi recommends you preserve battery life (i.e. don't charge past 80% unless you need to). I don't find this function helpful at all, but you can't disable it so instead I set the current range to 0 and the target range to 222 miles no matter what the SOC is when I plug in so that the vehicle decides when to stop charging rather than the EVSE making that decision.
Additionally, smart EVSEs like the JuiceBox presumably can be controlled by your utility in exchange for lower rates. In that case, I assume the utility manages the charging window for you and it functions like the first example above.
The smart EVSEs do give you additional timer options, but they are limited because Level 2 EVSEs don't share data with the vehicle. I like the JuiceBox for other reasons (especially the 25' cord, the ability to vary the amperage and the additional energy usage metrics).
The JuiceBox has a separate function that allows you to enter the starting range in miles and the target range in miles. Note that you have to enter these figures manually because Level 2 EVSEs do not know what the vehicle's SOC is at any given time, and they only know the theoretical range rather than the vehicle's guess-o-meter range which is always changing. Presumably this function will turn the power to the vehicle off when the EVSE has determined that the target range has been achieved. I don't use this function because a) you have to manually input the starting range, b) both the starting range and the target range vary due to ambient temperature and the efficiency of your recent trips and the EVSE doesn't account for this and c) I'd rather think in terms of percentage SOC than range because that's how Audi recommends you preserve battery life (i.e. don't charge past 80% unless you need to). I don't find this function helpful at all, but you can't disable it so instead I set the current range to 0 and the target range to 222 miles no matter what the SOC is when I plug in so that the vehicle decides when to stop charging rather than the EVSE making that decision.
Additionally, smart EVSEs like the JuiceBox presumably can be controlled by your utility in exchange for lower rates. In that case, I assume the utility manages the charging window for you and it functions like the first example above.
The smart EVSEs do give you additional timer options, but they are limited because Level 2 EVSEs don't share data with the vehicle. I like the JuiceBox for other reasons (especially the 25' cord, the ability to vary the amperage and the additional energy usage metrics).
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I have a 2021 Audi Q5 hybrid and when I set the charging times in the MMI they work just fine and I understand how they work. But there is NO way to set or "unset" the Auxillary AC from starting on its own. I live in the Calif desert and when I go out to get in to my car the AC is blasting. No one has been able to tell me or show me how to not set the Auxillary AC
timer. It is a setting that is NOT on my MMI.
Help!!
timer. It is a setting that is NOT on my MMI.
Help!!
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Same here!
While you may have used your app or the MMI to set up a timer and "enabled" it, you have NOT activated it. When you stop the car, the Shutdown Screen pops up. On it, among other things, is a list of the next available charging timers that you have "enabled". In order to ACTIVATE the timer you want to use you must press the icon to the left of that timer until a red bar appears at the top of the icon. Now when you plug it in, you will get a few white light flashes as the car negotiates, and then a quickly flashing green light, indicating that the timer is set.
When I first got my etron in 2019 it took awhile for me to figure this out. Documentation is terrible!
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