2013 NISSAN LEAF Owners Manual

SOLAR CELL MODULE (IF SO
EQUIPPED)
This vehicle uses a solar cell module to provide
power to the 12-volt battery. The solar cell mod-
ule only provides power to help maintain the
charge of the 12-volt battery; it will not recharge
a discharged 12-volt battery.
The solar cell module does not provide power to
the Li-ion battery.
For maintenance, seeCleaning exteriorin the
Appearance and care section.
NOTE:
The solar cell may not provide full charging
power in the following situations.
When the intensity of sunlight is weak.
When the solar cell module is in the
shade.
When the solar cell module is covered by
leaves or dirt.DRIVING RANGE BUTTON (IF SO
EQUIPPED)
Push the driving range button on the steering
wheel to check the estimated distance the ve-
hicle may be driven with the available Li-ion bat-
tery charge. See LEAF Navigation System Own-
er’s Manual.
Solar cell module on the rear spoiler
EV-30EV Overview

Charging
Precautions on charging................. .CH-2
Types of charge and how to charge the Li-ion
battery ........................... .CH-5
How to normal charge ................ .CH-9
How to trickle charge (if so equipped) .......CH-11
How to quick charge (if so equipped) .......CH-15
Charge connector lock switch ...........CH-18
If the charge connector can not be unlocked . . .CH-20
Charging methods ................... .CH-21
Charging timer ................... .CH-21Long life mode
................... .CH-26
Immediate charge .................. .CH-31
Charging related remote function (models with
navigation system) ................. .CH-31
Charging related indicator lights ............CH-33
Charging status indicator lights ...........CH-33
EVSE (Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment)
control box indicator light ..............CH-36
Charging troubleshooting guide ............CH-38

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

Pass the lower side belt of the EVSE
(Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment)
case securely through the fastener on
the bottom of the luggage board. If the
case suddenly becomes loose, it may
cause serious injury or death.
CAUTION
To prevent damage to the charging
equipment:
– Do not close the charge port lid
without closing the cap.
– Do not subject the charging equip- ment to impact.
– Do not pull or twist the charge cable.
– Do not drag the charge cable. – Do not store and use charging
equipment in locations where the
temperature is over 185°F (85°C) .
– Do not place the charging equip- ment close to a heater or other heat
source.
Make sure the cap is closed on the charge port when charging is finished.
If the charge port lid is closed when
the cap is open, water or foreign mate-
rials may enter the charge port.
Do not charge when a vehicle body cover is in use. This may cause dam-
age to the charge connector.
Do not attempt to perform a jump start on the 12-volt battery at the same time
that the Li-ion battery is being
charged. Doing so may damage the
vehicle or charging equipment and
could cause an injury. See Jump start-
ing in the In case of emergencysec-
tion. Trickle charging is performed using
the EVSE (Electric Vehicle Supply
Equipment) provided with the vehicle.
NISSAN recommends using an AC 110
- 120 volt, 15A, dedicated electrical
circuit and outlet. The dedicated cir-
cuit is used to help prevent circuit
damage or the circuit breaker from
tripping due to the high draw of charg-
ing the Li-ion battery. If the dedicated
circuit is not used, the circuit may
cause adverse interference on MCB
(Moulded Circuit Board) and house-
hold electrical appliances such as
televisions and audio systems. If the
circuit is shared, and another electrical
device is being used at the same time
the vehicle is charging, the breaker
may trip. A licensed professional elec-
trician should install a dedicated cir-
cuit if one is not already available.
ChargingCH-3

NOTE:
When charging the Li-ion battery, place
the power switch in the OFF position.
When the power switch is in the ON posi-
tion, the Li-ion battery will not start charg-
ing.
If the charger is connected to the vehicle
when it is in the READY to drive position,
the power switch automatically changes
to the ON position. Place the power
switch in the OFF position to begin charg-
ing.
For your safety, if the charger is con-
nected to the vehicle while the power
switch is in the READY to drive position,
the vehicle will automatically switch to
the ON position. Because charging will
not be started while the power switch is in
this position, be sure to place the power
switch in the OFF position.
When the ambient temperature is 32°F
(0°C) or less, charging time may be longer
than normal and the level to which the
Li-ion battery can be charged may be less
than at higher temperatures.
If the vehicle will not be used for an ex-
tended period of time, charge the Li-ion
battery using the long life mode once ev-
ery 3 months. Do not operate the charging
timer repeatedly while the charge connec-
tor is connected to the vehicle after the
Li-ion battery charging is completed. Do-
ing so may discharge the 12-volt battery.
For details of the long life mode charging
method, see Charging timer. If the Li-ion
battery becomes discharged, charge it
immediately.
The power switch can be set to ON posi-
tion and the climate control and naviga-
tion system (models with navigation sys-
tem) can be used while the Li-ion battery
is charging. However, because these op-
erations consume Li-ion battery power, it
will take longer for the Li-ion battery to
become fully charged. Place the power
switch in the OFF position to help reduce
Li-ion battery charge time.
If electrical power is interrupted while
charging, charging restarts automatically
when the electrical power is restored.
It is recommended to keep the charge
cable connected to save Li-ion battery
power, when the heater and air condi-
tioner are operating with remote opera-
tion (models with navigation system) .
If the charge port is frozen, melt the ice
using a hair dryer. After the ice has
melted, charge the Li-ion battery. Forcing
the charge connector to connect may
cause a malfunction.
If foreign materials have entered the
charge connector and charge port and it is
not possible to connect it, do not attempt
to force the connection. Contact a
NISSAN certified LEAF dealer. Forcing the
charge connector to connect may cause
damage to the charging equipment and
vehicle.
There is a hole on the charge port for
water drainage. If the water drainage hole
becomes blocked, or if water gets trapped
inside the charge port, do not charge.
Contact a NISSAN certified LEAF dealer.
CH-4Charging

TYPES OF CHARGE AND HOW TO
CHARGE THE LI-ION BATTERY
ChargingCH-5

CH-6Charging

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