
Driving
"' Brake the vehicle to a stop . The engine stops
sho rtly before th e vehicle comes to a stop or if
the ve hicle is stationary
l). Keep your foot on
the brake pedal. The
D] ; D] ind icator light ap
pears in the display. The need le in the tachome
ter also moves into the
READ Y position .
"'The eng ine starts aga in when you take you r
foot off the b rake pedal. The ind icator light
tu rns off.
Add itional information
The engine stops in the P , N and D selector lever
positions .
If you select the R se lector lever position during a
Stop phase, the eng ine will start again.
Shift to P quick ly to prevent t he engine from
starting unintent iona lly when s hifting t hrough R.
You can dete rm ine fo r you rself if the engine will
s top or not by reducing or increas ing the amount
of force you use to press the brake pedal. For ex
ample, if you only lig htly press on the brake ped
a l in stop -and-go traff ic or when turning, the en
g ine will not switch off when the vehicle is sta
tionary. As soon as you press the brake down harder , the eng ine will switch off.
(D Tips
- Press the brake pedal during a Stop phase
to keep the veh icle from rol ling.
- The ignition will turn off if you press the
I STAR T ENGINE ST OP ! button* d uring a
stop phase. The needle in the tac hometer
moves into the
OFF posit io n.
General information
A pp lies to: ve hicles w ith Start/Stop system
Engine does not switch off
Before and d uring each stop phase, the system
checks if certa in cond itions have been met .
If the
fiJ indica to r li ght appears in the inst rument cl us
ter disp lay, the engine w ill not be s topped, for
examp le in the fo llow ing s itu ations :
l) Market -spe cific
82
-The engine has not reached the minim um re
quired temperature for Start/Stop mode.
- The interior tempera ture selected by the cli -
mate cont rol system* has not been reached.
- The ou tside tempe ra tu re is extremely h igh/low.
- The windsh ield is being
defros ted® .
-The pa rking system * is switched on .
- The vehicle battery charge level is too low.
- The steering wheel is turned at a sharp angle o r
is moving.
- After engaging the reve rse gear.
- On sharp inclines .
- A t high altitu des .
Engine automatically restarts
The standard Start/Stop mode w ill be canceled
d urin g a s top p hase in the following si tuations.
The eng ine res tarts wi tho ut any ac tion by the
drive r.
- T he vehicle ro lls, fo r example whi le on a slope .
- T he interior temperature d iffers from the tem -
perat ure selected i n the A/C system .
- The windsh ie ld is being
defrosted® .
-The b rake peda l is p ressed several times in a
row.
- The vehicle battery charge level is too low.
- Powe r consumption is hig h.
The eng ine ca n turn off ag ain when the cond i
tions for Sta rt/S top mode a re met
1>.
Ignition is switched off automatically
To p reve nt the vehicle battery from dra ining, the
i gnition will switch off
automatically under the
fo llow ing cond it io ns:
- The Start/Stop system has stopped the engine.
- The veh icle is stationary.
- You exit ed the vehicle .
I n this case, the activ ated low be am is replaced
by the pa rking light . The parking lig hts will
switch off afte r approximately 30 minutes or
whe n you lock the ve hicle.
.,..

e-tron
e-tron Plug-in hybrid drive
Introduction
A pp lies to: ve hicles w ith plug -in hybrid drive
General information
The plug- in hybrid drive is a drive concept that al
lows yo u to choose between driving w ith the elec
tr ic moto r, with the gaso lin e engine o r using a
comb inat io n of both.
All work done on the high-voltage system must
only be performed by certified high-voltage tech
n icians at autho rized Aud i dea le rs or authorized
Aud i Serv ice Facilities in accordance with Audi
gu idelines.
The high-voltage system is composed of the fol low ing h igh-vo ltage components: the high-volt
age battery, the powe r electron ics, the e lectr ic
motor, the high-voltage A/C compressor, the
high-vo ltage heater, the charging system and
charging port as well as the orange high-voltage
wiring.
The pedal referred to in this sect ion of the Own
er's Manua l is the equivalent of the acce lerator
pedal (gas pedal) in a standard veh icle.
High-voltage battery
The high-voltage battery is located under the
rear bench seat in the veh icle and does not re
qu ire any maintenance from the driver. Addition
a l information about the high-voltage battery can
be found under
Q page 108 .
A WARNING
The voltage in the high-vo ltage system is life
threatening. Touching a damaged high-volt
age component can result in a fatal e lectr ic
shock. The components in the high-voltage
system are ma rked with a warning label which
wa rns against the h igh-vo ltage.
- The voltage level in the high-voltage system
is still dangerous and potentially life-threat
ening when the ignition is switched off.
- Never perform work on orange high-voltage
cables or on high-voltage components. Only
94
authorized repair facilities that are certified may perform work on the high-voltage sys
tem.
- Never damage, alter or remove the orange
high-voltage cable or disconnect it from the
high-voltage system.
- Never perform any work using c utting, shap
ing or sharp-edged too ls or heat sources
near the h igh-vo ltage system and high-volt
age cables.
- Aud i regulat ions must be followed during
all work performed on the high-voltage sys
tem and h igh-vo ltage components.
- When working on the h igh-vo ltage system
and h igh-voltage compone nts, make sure
the remote cont rol key is kept far enough
away from the vehicle so that there is no
ris k of the ignit ion be ing inadve rten tly
sw itched on.
- Gases that escape from the high-vol tage
b attery can be poisono us or flammable.
- Damage to the high-voltage battery could
cause the h igh-vo ltage battery to leak im
media tely or in the fu ture, and poisonous or
flammab le gases cou ld escape . Do not in
ha le the gases!
- Do not expose yourse lf to any leaking fluids
and do not come into contact with them .
- The high-volt age battery e lectroly te fl uid is
caustic. I f electrolyte fluid comes into con
tact with the sk in, f lush the affected area
for at least 15 minutes with clean water.
Then wash the affected area with soap.
Have the affected area examined by a med i
cal professional.
- In the event of a technical emergency, in
form the responders that the vehicle is
equ ipped with a high-voltage battery.
A WARNING
Never leave the vehicle unattended when in
drive ready
mode ~ page 96 with a gear en
gaged . The veh icle can start moving ("creep
ing") even if the gaso line engine is switched
off, since the e lectr ic motor is still operating.
This may cause collis ions and severe or fatal
-

CXl CXl .... N ,.__
N .... 0 N > 00
injuries. When the vehicle enters drive ready
mode, the status message
e-"'1 o I r.-.Al"'Y ap
pears briefly in the instrument cluster d isplay
and the needle in the power meter points to
READY ¢ page 9 7.
-Make sure that the selector lever is in the P
posit ion and the ignition is switched off
when leav ing t he veh icle.
([) Note
- The high-voltage system can be damaged if
the veh icle underbody comes into contact
with the ground. Immed iately drive your ve
hicle to a n author ized repair facility and
have it inspected.
- The electric drive motor can become very hot dur ing operation . Do not stop the veh i
cle if there is o il, fuel residue or other flam
mable s ubstances under or next to the vehi
cl e.
Special considerations for the high-voltage
battery
Appl ies to: vehicl es with plug- in hybrid drive
Please first read and note the introductory infor
mat ion and heed the
warn ings ¢ page 94.
All batteries age with use and over time. There
are things you should know about the care of the
h igh-vo ltage battery that will he lp it keep giving
you good service and reliab ility over t ime . Please
read and keep the following informat ion in m ind
while you enjoy the performance and economy of
your ve hicle .
- Be sure to charge the high-voltage battery be
fore leaving the vehicle parked and unused for a l onger period of time . Ideally the high-vol tage
batte ry sho uld have a charge leve l between
40
% and 60 % when par ked for a long t ime.
- If the batte ry charge level is below 3
%, never
park the vehicle for more than 21 days without
charg ing the high-vo ltage battery. Sho uld you
have to par k the vehicle fo r a long time, m ake
s u re that the charge leve l is sufficien t to help
prevent the battery from aging premature ly.
- Freq uent and consecutive charging of the high
vo ltage battery when the cha rge level is above
e-tron
98 % can also decrease the capacity o f the
highvo ltage battery . Make sure the charge leve l
is below 98
% when you start the charging
process.
- Should the vehicle be parked for longer than
2 days at temperatures below
-13 °F (-25 °C),
the high-voltage battery could free ze and not
be ab le to prov ide energy to the electric motor.
The battery will start working again, once it
warms up. The battery can be warmed up when
the outside temperature rises or when the vehi
cle is garaged app ropr iate ly. Th e battery w ill al
so warm up when bei ng used (sw itchi ng on the
air conditioner, the heater or by driving the ve
hicle) . Shou ld you have to park your vehicle at
very low temperatures for longer than 1 day, make sure that the h igh-vo ltage battery does
not freeze by parking the vehicle in a garage
that is heated or protected from the outside
temperature .
- The high-voltage battery can be damaged and
the capacity can be decreased when the vehicle
is parked for longer than 24 ho urs when the
ambient temperature is h igher than 118 °F
(48 °C). Always ma ke sure that the h igh-vo lt
age battery is not exposed to temperat ures
above 118 °F (48 °C) for a long time .
- Never pa rk the veh icle in areas that a re l ikely to
be flooded, s uch as beaches or rive r banks, and
never drive the vehicle in WA TER, on flooded
roads or through water that is higher than the
bottom of the vehicle body . The high -voltage
battery, along with other vehicle components,
can be damaged severe ly if the high-voltage
battery is exposed to open water especially for
a longer t ime . However, you ca n drive through
wate r o n roads under certain condi tions
~ page 74.
Failure to heed any of these requ irements can
age the battery prematurely and lead to a perma
nent decrease of the h igh-vo ltage battery's ca
pacity.
(D Tips
Always make sure that the high-voltage bat
tery is not exposed to extreme ly low and high
temperatu res as well as to water espec ia lly
fo r a longe r time. Fail ure to protec t and c are
IJ-
95

e-tron
for the high-voltage battery can lead to serious damage and/or a decrease of the capacity
void coverage under the New Vehicle Limited
Warranty.
Starting/driving the vehicle
Applies to: ve hicles w ith plug -in hybrid drive
The vehicle is started and stopped with the
I START STOP I button. Please also read the in
formation under
c::> page 78, Starting the engine .
Establishing drive ready mode
See c::> A in Introduction on page 94.
Requirement: a charging cable must not be con
nected to the vehicle
c::> page 117 and the selec
tor lever must be in the P or N position.
- Press the brake pedal.
- Press the
I STAR T STOPI button .
When the vehicle enters drive ready mode, the
status message
e-tron READY appears briefly in
the instrument cluster display and the needle in
the power meter points to
READY c::> page 97.
Driving
The vehicle starts with the electric motor after
establishing the dr ive ready mode and if the con
ditions for electric drive mode have been met
c::> page 100.
The conditions to drive are essentially the same
as for the automatic transmission
c::> page 85 .
You and your passengers should anticipate the
possibility of a sporty acce leration.
Ending drive ready mode
- Place the selector lever in the P position.
- Switch the ignition off with the
I STAR T STOPI
button.
Vehicle sound
The vehicle generates an electronic engine sound
so that your vehicle can be heard from the out
side when in electr ic drive mode. The veh icle
sound automatically fades out at higher speeds
when the sounds from the tires and wind start in
creasing.
96
Switching the ignition on/off
You can switch the ignition on without establish
ing drive ready mode.
- Press the
I START STOP ! button to switch the
ign ition on and off. Do not press the brake ped
al whi le doing this.
When the ignition is sw itched on, the needle
points at
OFF @c::>page 97, fig. 103 or OFF is
displayed @c::>page97, fig .103.
No indicator lights stay turned on when the igni
tion is switched off .
Ignition is switched off automatically
To prevent the vehicle battery from draining, the
ignition will switch off automatically under the
follow ing cond it ions:
- The vehicle must have already been driven.
- The vehicle is stationary.
- The gasoline engine must not be runn ing .
- The driver's door must be open.
- The driver's safety belt must be unbuckled .
- The brake pedal must not be pressed.
In this case, the activated low beam is replaced
by the parking light. The message
Side marker
lights automatically shut off in
30 minutes. See
owner's manual
appears in the instrument clus
ter display . The parking lights w ill switch off af
ter approx imately 30 minutes or when you lock
the veh icle.
If the gasoline engine was not stopped, the mo
tor continues runn ing and the ignit ion does not
automat ica lly switch off
c::> A .
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of poisoning, never allow
the eng ine to run in confined spaces.
(D Tips
The vehicle cannot start when outs ide tem
peratures are below-18 °F (-28 °C)
c::> page 98.
-

e-tron
The power meter gives feedback about the pa rt ic
ular accelerator pedal position and shows the
cur rent demand
(%) fo r electric ity or fuel rega rd
less of which engine is active.
An economica l driv ing and recupe ra tion range is
shown i n green
r:!> page 101, Energy recovery (re
cuperation). A driving range that is not economi
cal is shown in orange.
CD Ve hicl e no t drive ready (O FF)
@ Recuperation (CHARGE)
® Ve hicl e ready to d rive ( READY) o r
c oastin g
@ Effic ient driving w ith electric moto r
and/or gasoline eng ine (EFFICIEN-
CY)
® Ec onomic driv ing while t he e lectr ic
mot or or g asoline e ng in e is i n th e
p a rt ial power range
® D riving in full power range
0 100 % outp ut
® Boosting -the elect ric motor as-
sists the gasoline engine (BOOST)
® H igh-voltage battery cha rge level
@ EV mo de: a ct ive av , standby, c::§V
or cur rently unavailable. ~v
@ Speed limit for elect ric driv ing in EV
m ode (80 mph/ 130 km/h)
Indicator lights and messages
A pp lies to: ve hicles w ith p lug -in hybr id drive
A lso note the in dica to r li ghts in r:!> page 24.
The gaso line engine is active when the
111 indica
to r ligh t turns o n.
./. Drive system: system fault! Safely park
vehicle
There is a malfunction in the plug-in hybrid sys
tem . T he br ake booster and the powe r steering
may stop wor king. Stop the veh icle immediately
or as soon as possib le . Park the vehicle in a safe
p lace o utdoors that is not near buildi ngs, roof
overhangs, carports o r similar structures . Sw itch
the ig nition off . Have the problem cor rected by
an a uthor ized A udi dealer or au thor ized A udi
S erv ice Facil it y .
98
•• Electric system: overheated. Safely park
vehicle and check coolant
The coolant level is too lo w or the coo lan t tem
p er at ure is too hig h.
Stop t he vehi cle in the o utdoors as soon as it is
safely possib le. Swi tch t he ig nitio n off.
Read the important safety precautions
r:!> .& in
Coolant on page 105 and check the coolant level
r:!> page 104.
If the coolant level is OK, the malfunction may be
ca used by the system ove rheating . Let the vehi
cle's e lectr ic dr ive system coo l dow n for so me
t im e.
If the message turns off after coo ling down and
switching the ignition back on, you can continue
driv ing . Co ntac t an author ized Audi dealer or au
t h orized Audi Serv ice Facili ty immedia tely to have
t h e malfunct io n co rrecte d.
If the indicato r light stays on , contact an autho r
i zed Audi dealer or author ized A udi Se rvice Facili
ty.
11;11 D rive system: system fault! Please con
tact workshop
There is a ma lf u nction in t he p lug -in hy brid sys
tem. D rive to an authorized Aud i deale r or au
thorized Aud i Serv ice Facility immediately to have
the malfunct ion co rrected.
11;11 Drive system: system fault! Restart not
possible. Please contact workshop
There is a ma lf u nction in the plug-in hybrid sys
tem. Do not ope n the hoo d. Drive to an a uth o r
i zed Audi dealer or author ized A udi Se rvice Facili
ty immediate ly to have the malfuncti on correct
ed.
11;11 Battery temperature too low. Engine
start not possible . See owner's manual
The o utsid e tem per atur e is too low. The veh icle
can no longer s tart at tem peratures be low -18 °F
(-28 ° C). Contact an author ized A udi dea ler or au
thorized Audi Serv ice Facility.
•
POWER LIMIT Warning! Limited power

e-tron
Setting plug -in hybrid drive modes
Applies to: vehicles with plug -in hybrid drive
You con select between one electric mode and
two hybrid modes .
Fig. 10 6 Center conso le: button &
"' "'
i (0
~ To set the mode, press the ld' I button repeated
ly until the desired mode is displayed in the in
strument cluster/Infotainment system.
You can change modes whe n the vehicle is s ta
tionary or while driving . If the ve hicle operat ing
conditions will not allow you to set the mode
manually, the last active mode is selected.
The active mode is displayed the first t ime t he
ld• I
button is pressed.
av e -tron mode : EV -EV mode is elec tric dr iv ing
only. EV mode is active at the beginning of every
tr ip depending on the operating condition of the
veh icle . The LED in the
lal button turns on.
The . indicator light also appears in the instru
ment cluster. The gasoline engine remains
turned off, as long as the condit ions for electric
driving are met
c:;, page 100 , Conditions for elec
tric driving .
~ e-tron mode: Hybrid -the electric motor and
the gasoline engine work efficiently together in
hybrid mode. The high-voltage battery will be
used to the fullest extent when th is mode is
sw itched on . Th is mode is bes t suited for long
d istances .
.. ~ e-tron mode : Battery Hold -the electric mo
tor and the gasoli ne engine work together in Bat
tery Hold mode, so that the high-voltage battery
charg e level is ma inta ined as much as possible .
100
@ Tips
-Applies to: Battery Hold mode : the high
voltage battery charge level can also de crease depending on the driving behavior.
- If you select the sport driving mode S whe n
in EV mode, the Battery Hold mode is auto
matically se lected.
- If
the !& ! c:;, page 100 button is pressed
wh ile i n sport driv ing mode S, the transm is
sion switches automatically to normal mode
D.
- When temperatures are below approxi
mately
14 °F ( -10 °(), the vehicle heat out
put in EV mode is reduced in orde r to attai n
highe r ra nges. If the windows fog up o r a
highe r heat output is desi red, switch on the
Hyb rid or Battery Hold mode.
Conditions for electric driving
Applies to : vehicles with plug-in hybrid drive
The EV mode c an only be swi tc h ed o n if the fol
l owing condit ions are met:
- T he cha rge level of the high-vol tage batte ry
m ust be sufficient .
- Th e temperature of the hig h-vol tag e batte ry
m ust be adequate (o utside temper atures not
below app roxima tely
1 4 °F / -10°( an d no t
above
1 04° F / 40°()
- Th e speed must not be higher th an approxi-
mate ly
80 mph (13 0 km/h).
- Kick-down must no t be a ctivated.
- Th e sport drive mode S m ust no t be selected .
EV mode is switched off if one or more of the
cond it ions are not met . The gasoline engine w ill
start automatically . The
111 ind icator light turns
o n as a message in the instrument cl uster . The
L ED in t he
l.c! 'I bu tto n and the . in dicator lig ht
tu rn off.
E lectric dr ive mode will not co ntinue automati
ca lly . React ivate the EV mode
¢ pag e 100 .
(D Tips
It may be necessary for the gaso line e ngine to
r un lo nger for technical reasons, such as
..,.

CXl CXl .... N ,.__
N .... 0 N > 00
when condensation accumulates in the en
gine . Driving exclusively in electric mode is
not possible in this phase.
Plug-in hybrid functions
Applies to: ve hicles with plug- in hybrid drive
The funct ions descr ibed below act ivate automati
cally depend ing on the dr iv ing style.
Full -throttle acceleration (boost)
The boost function is activated by pressing the
accelerator pedal farther down (kick-down) . The
vehicle is powered by both the gaso line engine
and the electric motor when in full accelerat ion.
Boost is only available for a sho rt time, because it
uses a large amount of energy. Availab ility de
pends o n the high-voltage battery cha rge level.
Coasting
The gaso line engine switches off and disengages
at speeds up to approximately 112 mph
(180 km/h) if the accelerator pedal is not press
ed and the D position is selected. Dr iv ing conser
vative ly like this can reduce fuel consumption .
Tips for efficient driving
Applies to: vehicles with plug -in hybrid drive
Driving situations Conditions
e-tron
Energy recovery (recuperation)
When braking, the elec tric moto r will act as a
generato r creating ele ct ric energy that is then
stored in the high -voltage battery. This also oc
c ur s when the vehicle is coasting or driving down
hill.
If the brakes are applied early and evenly, the
electric motor w ill brake the vehicle @
¢page 97, fig. 103. By doing this, a large
amount of the kinetic energy is recovered and
may be stored as electric energy in the high-volt
age battery . The conventional brakes are also ac
t ivated when the brakes are pressed very hard .
The strength of recuperation can depend on the
follow ing factors:
- If you are in tiptron ic mode
¢page 90. Or
- If the sport dr iv in g mode S was se lected .
The energy recovery is shown in the energy flow
display in the instrument cluster display/I nfo
tainment system
¢page 102.
Vehicle behavior
-Cautious driving and reserved ac -The kinetic energy of the vehicle is used to
celeration .
move the vehicle.
Constant driving and
-Re lease the accelerator peda l The gasoline engine turns off automati-
coasting (gliding)
early and entirely . cally and disengages when you release the
accelerator pedal complete ly. The veh icle
glides without being propelled .
-Brake early and evenly with short The electric motor brakes the vehicle. By
Energy recovery (re- pedal movements.
doing this, a large amount of the kinetic
energy is recovered and may be stored in
cu peration) the high-voltage battery in the form of
electr ic energy .
Driv ing in city traffic
-Accelerate moderately and brake
The kine tic ene rgy o f the vehicle is used to
early and evenly move the vehicle.
-Intentionally take your foot off of The gasol ine engine turns off automati -
Driving on highways the gas peda l to allow fo r lengthy cally and disengages when you release the
and expressways coast ing . accelerator pedal complete ly. The veh icle
g lid es w ithout being p ropelled .
101

e-tron
Driving situations Conditions Vehicle behavior
- Reduce the vehicle speed by re- Fuel consumption can be reduced by
leasing the accelerator peda l and coasting .
not by braking.
-Use the S selector lever position A sporty driv ing style increases fuel con -
and tiptron ic mode sparingly . sumption .
- Do not run the gasoline engine The temperature of the gasoline engine
while the vehicle is parked to warm rises very s lowly and the fuel consump-
the eng ine. tion increases considerably.
-Use the rear w indow/exterior This conserves the energy in the h igh-volt -
Driving in cold weath- mirror defroster and the seat
heat-age battery so that it is availab le to run
ing sparing ly. the vehicle in electric mode.
er
-Park the veh icle in a ga rage over-
This reduces exposure of the high-voltage
night.
Energy flow display
Ap plies to : ve hicles w ith p lug- in hybr id drive
F ig . 107 In strument cluste r: energy flow display
An energy flow display can be shown in the in
strument cluster display/Infotainment system
U .
The image is animated in the Infotainment sys
tem
ll .
Image in the instrument cluster display
Select the view of the energy flow display on the
m ultifunction steering wheel.
• Applies to : vehicles with Audi v irtual cockpit :
Select on the multifunction steering wheel: left
contro l button
> Energy flow.
l) Not availa ble in a ll Infota inm en t systems .
102
battery to cold temperatures . The re-
quired temperature range for the high-
voltage battery will then be reached more
qu ickly after you start driving.
Fig. 108 Infota inment system•: ene rgy flow display
• Applies to: veh icles with ana log instrument
cluster: Select the tab
Trip computer, and turn
the left thumbwheel on the multifunction
steer ing wheel to open the
Energy flow dis
play .
Image in the Infotainment display
1>
• Select in the Infotainment system : IMENUj but
ton
> Vehicle > left control button > Audi drive
select .