Hi
A couple of times I have experienced my iV refusing to shift from hybrid (petrol) to e-drive via the mode panel. I just says something like "Sorry, e-drive is not available for the moment. Please try again later" (or rather the danish equivalent of that).
It's no big deal, but I wonder what is the reason? There is lots of power on the battery, and I'm driving in city traffic, typically 50 km/h. There seems to be no obvious reason, why I can't go electric?

Do you happen to have the drive mode in “Sport”? The road icon with a flag

I don't think so. Then I should have shifted into it by mistake. But you are right: it could be the reason. I will check that, the next time it happens.

What is the outside temperature? iV will not engage electric below 2deg C. See the troubleshooting guide at the end of the manual.

Thanks for the suggestion. But the temperature was definitely over 2 degrees. 

Does it show the state of battery charge? It could simply be the batteries are recharging or something daft like that. If it persists I would take it back to Skoda with some photographic evidence.

It may happen even with a battery more than half charged. 

But as I wrote before: its a bit annoying, but no big deal. After a few minutes of stubborn refusal, it will normally accept my wish to go electric again.

Edited 30 April, 20215 yr by LarsKC

Do you have very high electric load (seat heaters, rear window heater, heated mirrors etc ?)

 

There may be other reasons (like the ones that prevent a normal stop/start from operating (engine still cold, cabin requires heat, air conditioning required etc) that prevent it if battery not charged sufficiently.   I suspect there is software that sets the EV mode threshold 

 

 

31 minutes ago, SurreyJohn said:

Do you have very high electric load (seat heaters, rear window heater, heated mirrors etc ?)

 

There may be other reasons (like the ones that prevent a normal stop/start from operating (engine still cold, cabin requires heat, air conditioning required etc) that prevent it if battery not charged sufficiently.   I suspect there is software that sets the EV mode threshold 

 

 

None of the above.
Here is a typical situation: I start up in e-mode and drive on in that for maybe 5-10 kilometers. I reach a bit of motorway, and as i floor the pedal the petrol engine kicks in. I get of the motorway, and cruise at about 40 km/h under the exact same conditions as when I was in e-mode before. The battery is halfway charged. But the car refuses to go back into to e-mode.

Edited 30 April, 20215 yr by LarsKC

I would go with regen of the OPF (otto particle filter).

Just like a diesel the engine will keep running and start/stop or EV mode won't work.

Usually this wil take about 20 minutes to complete.

 

Have you noticed some heat, smell or fans running when you encoutered that message?

On 04/05/2021 at 11:55, VAGProf said:

I would go with regen of the OPF (otto particle filter).

......

Have you noticed some heat, smell or fans running when you encoutered that message?

Hmm - but the car has run for just about a month? No heat or smell either.
Anyway, since my last post the change to e-mode has actually worked flawles. So no I just hope that the problem was temporary ;-)

I think what happens is that by accelerating fast on to the Motorway you request more power than the battery can provide in normal e-mode. If this happens the car automatically shift to Hybrid mode. Then you cannot return to e-mode without stopping the car and turn it off. I tried this several times ;-) 

If you let the adaptive speed function handle the acceleration it should not happen. I do that most of the time and it is quite relaxing at the same time.

I find this an absolutely rediculous "feature"! I actually shifted into sport this morning, I've only had the car 2 weeks so still testing things out. Not long after moving off I shifted back to D and soon realised it wouldn't then switch back to E-Mode, I had to turn the car off at the traffic lights and then start it up again.

The only time I find it won’t switch back to E mode is when the ICE has started because I’ve put the car in hybrid mode and is still warming up. After about 5 mins I can switch back to E mode. 

I agree with Reddog. I have to drive about three miles when in hybrid mode before the battery drive kicks in. This also happened with a Peugeot 3008 hybrid I test drove before buying the Octy.

So the reason it does this, you have just started the engine from cold by flooring it on to the motorway, the engine was cold and now its running a heat cycle, getting it warm, etc etc. mine does the same however if your gentle and ease on the motorway you will use ev mode all the way.

I have recently had this on my Superb IV. 

I have been driving in electric mode only for the past few weeks as I have not been on any long journeys. Last night on my way home from work with a full battery the engine came on and would not switch back to to e-mode. I was not accelerating hard but just driving at about 45mph on a country road?

I can't see it would be the exhaust filter cleanup as I had not been using the engine so no exhaust gases to clean. 

Does the 12v battery need to be charged by the alternator with the engine running? Could this be why the engine needed to run? 

Welcome.

Makes total sense that the engine should fire up and charge the 12 volt system battery.

It really is necessary to make sure you are running the ICE occasionally especially is extremes of weather, hot, cold or even inbetween. 

1 hour ago, Seasider53 said:

Does the 12v battery need to be charged by the alternator with the engine running? Could this be why the engine needed to run? 

There is no normal alternator. On iV models the 12V battery is charged from the high voltage battery.

 

The ICE just wants to be on from time to time

1 hour ago, timster said:

There is no normal alternator. On iV models the 12V battery is charged from the high voltage battery.

 

The ICE just wants to be on from time to time

Which is guess begs the question why does the ICE need to run? What else is it doing that the car cannot get from running in e-mode?

Is it just an actual fault when the iV's have a flat 12v battery even when the car is charged?

 

One that VW Group are on like a ferret up a drain pipe.

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/495746-octavia-iv-estateflat-12v-battery

 

Some useful insight can be gained by reading of the SSP files from erWin.

Here are some extracts from SEAT SSP174 Concepts of Electromobility (aware this is Skoda, but the underlying tech/terms are shared)

 

 

Forgive the terms used, but does say the "electric machine" is in charge of starting the engine as necessary

 

Slow and Medium charges HV & 12V

 

Fast charging will only charge the HV battery

 

The software inside the various control units will decide as and when to charge up 12V, but there could be bugs as always or some parameters we are not aware of that decide when to keep ICE running when we want to run in e-mode, or when the ICE seemingly starts for no aparant reason (more than likely the 12V hit a limit and needed top up)

Edited 12 August, 20223 yr by varooom

My Octavia IV recently had a factory  recommended update of the part that controls the charging of the 12V battery. And it is correct that low battery on the 12V side will also require a start of the engine as described above.

I also received an amendment to the printed manual regarding the change.

Just fyi ”FAST-SPEED CHARGING” -  octavia’s dont have DC charging

In the UK things are lost in translation again with Electrification & EV's.

 

7 kW AC charging is called 'Fast Charging' Even with a 3.6 kWh charging hybrid on one.

11 kW & 22 kW AC is also 'FAST'.

 

DC 50 kW gets call RAPID,  & then you get Super Rapid etc.