2013 NISSAN LEAF warning light

If the low battery charge warning light
illuminates, the Li-ion battery charge is too low for
travel. SeeEmpty light in theInstruments and
controls section. Charge the Li-ion battery as
soon as possible.
EV-20EV Overview

failure to have these necessary inspections, re-
pairs and/or adjustments performed.
See the NISSAN Service and Maintenance Guide for a detailed explanation of the Li-ion
battery inspection and intervals.METERS AND INDICATORS
The vehicle has two displays to provide informa-
tion regarding vehicle operation:
Upper display
Lower display
Upper display
Master warning lights:
The master warning lights are located in the
upper display.
The master warning lights illuminate when any
warning lights or indicators illuminate in the lower
display or when messages are displayed on the
dot matrix liquid crystal display.
For additional information, see Master warning
light in the Instruments and controls section.
EV UNIQUE INFORMATION
EV OverviewEV-25

Warning and indicator lights
The EV (Electric Vehicle) system uses the follow-
ing EV (Electric Vehicle) specific warning and
indicator lights.
1. Master warning light (red)
2. Master warning light (yellow)3. 12-volt battery charge warning light
4. Plug in indicator light
5. READY to drive indicator light
6. Power limitation indicator light
7. EV system warning light
8. Electric shift control system warning light
9. Brake system warning light (yellow)
10. Low battery charge warning light
11. Headlight warning light
12. Approaching Vehicle Sound for Pedestrians
(VSP) system warning light
For additional information, see Warning/
indicator lights and audible reminders in the
Instruments and controls section.
APPROACHING VEHICLE SOUND
FOR PEDESTRIANS (VSP) SYSTEM
The Approaching Vehicle Sound for Pedestrians
(VSP) system is a function that uses sound to
alert pedestrians of the presence of the vehicle
when it is being driven at a low speed.
When the vehicle starts to move, it produces a
sound.
The sound stops when the vehicle speed is more
than 19 MPH (30 km/h) while accelerating.
The sound starts when the vehicle speed is less
than 16 MPH (25 km/h) while decelerating.
EV-28EV Overview

The sound stops when the vehicle stops.
The sound does not stop with the vehicle in the R
(Reverse) position even if the vehicle stops.
WARNING
If the sound cannot be heard, pedestri- ans may not notice the oncoming ve-
hicle, which may cause an accident
resulting in serious injury or death. Im-
mediately contact a NISSAN certified
LEAF dealer for VSP system inspec-
tion.
If the VSP system warning light illumi- nates while the power switch is in the
ON position, or in the READY to drive
position, it may indicate the VSP sys-
tem is not functioning properly. Have
the system checked by a NISSAN cer-
tified LEAF dealer. See Approaching
Vehicle Sound for Pedestrians (VSP)
system warning light in theInstru-
ments and controls section.
ELECTRIC SHIFT CONTROL
SYSTEM
This vehicle is equipped with an electric shift
control system. This control system has three
features.
Smooth and easy shift selector operation.
To place the vehicle in the P (Park) position,
push the P (Park) position switch on the selec-
tor lever.
The vehicle automatically applies the P (Park) position when the power switch is placed in the
OFF position. For additional information, see
Driving vehiclein
the Starting and driving section.
LED HEADLIGHT (LOW BEAM) (IF
SO EQUIPPED)
This vehicle uses a LED headlight for the head-
light low beam. The LED headlight has the follow-
ing features.
Low power consumption
The shape is very compact.
Contact a NISSAN certified LEAF dealer to re-
place the headlight.
EV OverviewEV-29

WARNING
If you use any medical electric devices, such as an implantable cardiac pace-
maker or an implantable cardiovascu-
lar defibrillator, check with the electric
medical device manufacturer concern-
ing the effects that charging may have
on implanted devices before starting
the charge operation. Charging may
affect the operation.
If you have an implantable cardiac pacemaker or an implantable cardio-
vascular defibrillator, while the Li-ion
battery is charging:
– Do not stay inside the vehicle.
– Do not go inside the vehicle, forexample to remove or place an item
in the passenger compartment.
– Do not open the rear hatch, for ex- ample to remove or place an item in
the cargo area.
Charging may affect the operation of
electric medical device and result in
serious personal injury or death. Make sure there is no water or foreign
materials in the charge port, charge
connector or electrical plug, and that
they are not damaged or affected by
rust or corrosion. If any of these con-
ditions are noticeable, do not charge
the Li-ion battery. This may result in a
short circuit or electric shock and
could cause a fire which may result in
serious personal injury or death.
To avoid serious personal injury or death when the Li-ion battery is charg-
ing, be aware of the following precau-
tions.
– Do not touch the metal contacts ofthe charge port, charge connector
or electrical plug.
– Do not touch the vehicle and char- ger when there is lightning. A light-
ning strike may back feed into the
charger causing damage and pos-
sible personal injury or death.
Make sure the charge connector is re- moved from the charge port before
starting your vehicle. If the charge con-
nector is only partially engaged and
the connector latch is unlocked, it is
possible to place the EV (Electric Ve-
hicle) in the READY to drive position. Do not plug in or unplug the plug with
wet hands and do not stand in water,
liquid or snow. This may cause an elec-
tric shock which may result in serious
personal injury or death.
Do not disassemble or modify the charge port or the EVSE (Electric Ve-
hicle Supply Equipment) . This may
cause a fire.
If you notice an unusual odor or smoke coming from the vehicle, stop charging
immediately.
Be careful not to allow your hands, hair, jewelry or clothing to come into
contact with, or get caught in, the trac-
tion motor cooling fan. The cooling fan
can start at any time during charging.
PRECAUTIONS ON CHARGING
CH-2Charging

This vehicle is an electric vehicle and it requires
electricity to operate. The Li-ion battery is the only
source of power to operate the vehicle. It is
important to conserve power and plan your
charging needs when you drive to avoid com-
pletely discharging the Li-ion battery and being
unable to drive.
There are three methods available to charge the
Li-ion battery;
Normal charge
Trickle charge
Quick charge (if so equipped)
The time to completely charge the vehicle Li-ion
battery varies, based on the state of charge of the
Li-ion battery, condition and age of the Li-ion
battery, ambient temperature and condition of the
power source connected to the vehicle. The
charging times provided in this manual are esti-
mates only and may vary.
Normal charge
NISSAN recommends using normal charging for
usual charging of the vehicle. Use of quick charge
should be minimized in order to help prolong Li-ion
battery life.
Normal charging uses an SAE J1772 compliant
charging device that can be installed on a dedicated
220V/240V circuit in your home. NISSAN recom-mends the installation of a home charging dock by a
licensed professional electrician. NISSAN has con-
tracted with a company to assist you in purchasing
and installing a charger. Contact your NISSAN cer-
tified LEAF dealer.
It takes approximately 4–7 hours (depending on
the charger) in order to charge the Li-ion battery
from discharged (low battery charge warning
light illuminated) to charged.
See
How to normal charge.
Trickle charge
Trickle charging is not recommended for regular
use. Trickle charge can be used when it is nec-
essary to perform an emergency charge at a
destination such as a friend’s house.
Trickle charge uses the EVSE (Electric Vehicle
Supply Equipment) or an SAE J1772 compliant
cord set to connect the vehicle to an AC 110 -
120 volt, 15A dedicated outlet. The outlet should
be protected by a dedicated circuit breaker or
fuse to avoid overloading the circuit or other
electrical hazard.
It takes approximately 21 hours to charge the
Li-ion battery from discharged (low battery
charge warning light illuminated) to charged.
See How to trickle charge. Quick charge (if so equipped)
Quick charge capability is only available on ve-
hicles manufactured with the quick charge op-
tion, which includes the quick charge port. If your
vehicle does not have such a port, quick charging
cannot be used.
A vehicle equipped with a quick charge port is
compatible with most CHAdeMO (Japanese in-
dustry standard) connectors on charging sta-
tions. Charging stations using this standard are
UL certified and safe to use in the US. While
supported by NISSAN, this connector may not
become the US SAE standard.
Quick charging is possible (even several times a
day) if the battery temperature is not near the red
zone. If the battery temperature reaches the red
zone, in order to protect the battery, quick charg-
ing is not allowed and the power limitation mode
will be triggered.
Public charging:
This vehicle is compatible with any public charg-
ing station that is SAE J1772 compliant. If you
attempt to charge from a non-compliant charging
station, you may not receive a complete charge,
or you may not be able to charge at all due to
hardware and software differences. NISSAN is
ChargingCH-7

working with state, municipalities utility compa-
nies and others to assist in the preparation of
markets and infrastructure, but makes no repre-
sentations that public charging stations will be
available in locations where you wish to operate
the vehicle, nor can NISSAN predict the period of
time it may take for public charging infrastructure
to be developed in your area. Depending on
where you live or drive, there may not be sufficient
public charging stations available to meet your
particular needs for driving range and charging
away from your home. Trip planning is therefore
important, and you should plan trips with these
facts in mind.
Quick charge uses public charging stations (up
to 50 kW of power) .
The time needed to charge the Li-ion battery from
discharged (low battery charge warning light illu-
minated) to 80% charged using the a quick char-
ger depends on many factors including the Li-ion
battery temperature and the type of quick charger
used.
It may take more time to charge the Li-ion battery
using the quick charger if the vehicle is parked in
a cold location (for example below 32°F (0°C))
for a long time.The Li-ion battery temperature gauge can be
used to estimate the approximate time needed to
charge the Li-ion battery to 80%.
Li-ion battery tempera-
ture gauge Estimated charge
time
A3 or fewer seg-
ments illuminated More than approxi-
mately 90 minutes
B4-5 segments illu-
minatedApproximately 30-90
minutes
C6-7 segments illu-
minatedApproximately 30
minutes
D8-9 segments illu-
minatedApproximately 30-60
minutes
Li-ion battery tempera-
ture gauge Estimated charge
time
A3 or fewer seg-
ments illuminated More than approxi-
mately 90 minutes
E10 or more seg-
ments illuminatedMore than approxi-
mately 60 minutes
NOTE:
Charging time is typically limited to 60 min-
utes when using a quick charger. Press the
start switch on the quick charger after it
stops if additional charge time is necessary
to reach an 80% charge.
See
How to quick charge.
Power Limitation Mode
This mode protects the health and operation of
the vehicle’s Li-ion battery. This mode operates in
certain extreme conditions (heat, cold, low state
of charge) . Power available to vehicle systems,
including its traction motor, is limited resulting in
limited performance, acceleration and top speed.
Charging may be automatically terminated, espe-
cially with repeated quick charging in extreme hot
weather.
CH-8Charging

Checking Li-ion battery charge
The three methods for checking amount of
charge are as follows.
Check by using the Li-ion battery availablecharge gauge on the meter when the power
switch is placed in the ON position. See Li-ion
battery remaining energy gauge in theInstru-
ments and controls section and16. Li-ion
battery low charge warning in theInstruments
and controls section.
Check by using a cellular phone, smart phone or personal computer. See LEAF Navigation Sys-
tem Owner’s Manual (models with navigation
system) .
Check by using the charging status indicator light. See Charge status indicator light.
NOTE:
During the charge operation, charge con-
tinues when the power switch is placed in
the ON position.
The Li-ion battery cannot be charged if the
quick charge connector and the normal
charge connector are connected at the
same time. If another charge connector is
connected mid-charge, charging will stop.
For safety reasons, it is not possible to
switch to the READY to drive position
while a charge connector is connected.
During charging, it is possible that the
radio may be inaudible due to noise by the
electromagnetic wave.
HOW TO NORMAL CHARGE
WARNING
If you use any medical electric devices, such as an implantable cardiac pace-
maker or an implantable cardiovascu-
lar defibrillator, check with the electric
medical device manufacturer concern-
ing the effects that charging may have
on implanted devices before starting
the charge operation. Charging may
affect the operation.
If you have an implantable cardiac pacemaker or an implantable cardio-
vascular defibrillator, while the Li-ion
battery is charging:
– Do not stay inside the vehicle.
– Do not go inside the vehicle, forexample to remove or place an item
in the passenger compartment. – Do not open the rear hatch, for ex-
ample to remove or place an item in
the cargo area.
Charging may affect the operation of
electric medical device and result in
serious personal injury or death.
Be sure to follow the precautions for using the charger that can be installed
in your home. Failing to do so could
result in serious injury or death.
CAUTION
Do not use any charging equipment that is not compatible with the LEAF.
Doing so could prevent the Li-ion bat-
tery from charging properly or could
result in damage to the vehicle or Li-
ion battery.
Normal charge uses the charging device (AC 220 - 240 volt, 20A) that can be installed in your
home to charge the Li-ion battery.
Immediate charge, charging timer and remote charge (models with navigation system) can be
performed in the normal charge mode. See
Charging timer andCharging related remote
function.
ChargingCH-9