2014 INFINITI Q50-HYBRID Owners Manual

Hybrid System-2Hybrid System Overview
The INFINITI Direct Response Hybrid®
System combines the power of a gasoline
engine and an electric motor to help
minimize fuel consumption and emissions.
Depending on driving conditions, the
vehicle runs on a combination of the
gasoline engine and the electric motor,
whichever is best for those conditions.
Because the gasoline engine charges the
Lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery as needed, the
battery does not have to be charged from
an outside source like an all-electric
vehicle.WARNING
Your vehicle contains a sealed Lithium ion
(Li-ion) high voltage battery. If the Li-ion
battery is disposed of improperly, there is a
risk of severe burns and electrical shock
that may result in serious injury or death
and there is also a risk of environmental
damage.
CAUTION
.Do not misuse the Li-ion battery.
. Do not use the Li-ion battery for any
other purpose.
The Li-ion battery is used to drive the
electric motors in the INFINITI Direct
Response Hybrid
®System.
The Li-ion battery has a limited service life.
Contact your INFINITI retailer for informa-
tion about recycling or disposal of the
battery.
WARNING
. The INFINITI Direct Response Hybrid®
System uses high voltage up to approxi-
mately 408 volts. The system can be hot
during and after starting. Be careful of
both the high voltage and the high
temperature. Obey the warning labels
attached to the vehicle.
. Never disassemble, remove or replace
high-voltage parts and harnesses as
well as their connectors. Doing so can
cause severe burns or electric shock that
may result in serious injury or death.
High-voltage harnesses are colored or-
ange. The vehicle high voltage system
has no user serviceable parts. Take your
vehicle to an INFINITI retailer for any
necessary maintenance.
. Never try to remove the service plug
located in the trunk. The service plug is
used only when the vehicle is serviced
by trained technicians wearing personal
protection equipment and is part of the
high voltage system. Touching the ser-
vice plug can cause severe burns or
electric shock that may result in serious
injury or death.
INFINITI DIRECT RESPONSE HYBRID®
SYSTEM LITHIUM-ION (Li-ion) BATTERY HIGH VOLTAGE CAUTIONS

WARNING
In case of a collision:
.If your vehicle is drivable, pull your
vehicle off the road, put the transmis-
sion in the P (Park) position, apply the
parking brake and turn the INFINITI
Direct Response Hybrid
®System off.
. Check to see if there are exposed high
voltage parts and cables. Never touch
the parts and cables. For their locations,
see “High voltage components” (P.Hy-
brid System-9). To avoid personal injury,
never touch high-voltage wiring, con-
nectors, and other high-voltage parts,
such as electric motor inverter and
Lithium ion (Li-ion) battery. An electric
shock may occur if exposed electric
wires are visible when viewed from
inside or outside of your vehicle. There-
fore, never touch exposed electric wires.
. If the vehicle receives a strong impact to
the floor while driving, stop the vehicle
in a safe location and check the floor.
. Inspect the ground under the vehicle. If
liquid has leaked onto the ground, the
fuel system may have been damaged. Leave the vehicle as soon as possible.
. Leaks or damage to the Li-ion battery
may result in a fire. If you discover them,
contact emergency services immedi-
ately. Since the fluid leak may be lithium
organic electrolyte from the Li-ion bat-
tery, never touch the fluid leak inside or
outside the vehicle. If the fluid contacts
your skin or eyes, wash it off immedi-
ately with a large amount of water and
receive immediate medical attention to
help avoid serious injury.
. If a fire occurs in the hybrid vehicle,
leave the vehicle as soon as possible.
Only use a type ABC, BC or C fire
extinguisher that is meant for use on
electrical fires. Using water or the
incorrect fire extinguisher can result in
serious injury or death from electrical
shock.
. If you are not able to safely assess the
vehicle due to vehicle damage, do not
touch the vehicle. Leave the vehicle and
contact emergency services. Advise 1st
responders that this is a hybrid vehicle.
. In the event of an accident that requires
body repair and painting, the vehicle
should be delivered to an INFINITI retailer to have the Li-ion battery pack
and high voltage parts such as the
inverter, including the wiring harness,
removed prior to painting. Li-ion battery
packs exposed to heat in the paint booth
will experience capacity loss. Damaged
Li-ion battery packs may also pose
safety risks to untrained mechanics
and repair personnel.
Hybrid System OverviewHybrid System-3
ROAD ACCIDENT CAUTIONS

Hybrid System-4Hybrid System Overview
The emergency shut-off system is activated
and the high-voltage system automatically
turns off in the following conditions:
.Front and side collisions in which the
air bags are deployed.
. Certain rear collisions.
. Certain INFINITI Direct Response Hy-
brid
®System malfunctions
For the above collisions and the certain
hybrid system malfunctions, the READY to
drive indicator light will turn off. See
“Warning/indicator lights and audible re-
minders” (P.2-12).
The emergency shut-off activates for the
above collisions to minimize risk of an
event that could cause injury or an
accident. If the emergency shut-off system
activates, the hybrid system may not
switch to READY to drive position, contact
an INFINITI retailer. Even if the ignition
switch is switched to READY to drive
position, the system may shut-off sud-
denly. Therefore, drive cautiously to the
nearest INFINITI retailer or contact an
INFINITI retailer as soon as possible. To start the INFINITI Direct Response
Hybrid
®System:
1. Depress the brake pedal and place the ignition switch in the ON position when
the transmission is in the P (Park) or N
(Neutral) position (P is recommended).
(For more details, see “Push-button
ignition switch” (P.5-10).)
2. The READY to drive indicator light
flashes, then turns illuminated. (The
hybrid system switched to the READY to
drive mode when the indicator light
illuminates.)
When the READY to drive indicator light
illuminates, the vehicle can be
driven, even if the gasoline engine is not
running.
NOTE:
The gasoline engine starts and stops
automatically. It may stop during low
speed driving, deceleration or when the
vehicle is stopped.
The gasoline engine may automatically
run in the following conditions:
. The level of remaining charge in the
Lithium ion (Li-ion) battery is low. The
engine runs to charge the Li-ion
battery and to provide power to the drive the vehicle.
. The temperature of the engine coolant
is low.
. Based on driving conditions.
. The shift lever is shifted to the P (Park)
position, the driver’ s seat belt is
released and the driver’s side door is
then opened.
The hybrid system operates as follows
based on driving conditions and the Li-ion
battery charge.
STARTING AND SLOW SPEED DRIV-
ING
The vehicle is driven by the electric motor
depending on the available Li-ion battery
charge.
MEDIUM OR HIGH SPEED DRIVING
The system automatically controls the
gasoline engine and electric motor in order
to obtain the optimum fuel mileage and
performance, depending on the driving
situation and available Li-ion battery
charge.
When the remaining battery level is low,
the Li-ion battery is charged by the electric
motor that is driven to generate electric
power while the vehicle is driving.
EMERGENCY SHUT-OFF SYSTEM OPERATION OF THE INFINITI DIRECT
RESPONSE HYBRID®SYSTEM

RAPID ACCELERATION
The vehicle is accelerated using both the
gasoline engine and the electric motor
depending on the available Li-ion battery
charge.
DECELERATION AND BRAKING
The Li-ion battery is charged by the electric
motor that changes the energy of the
rotating wheels into electric power. See
“Regenerative brake”(P.Hybrid System-8).
STOPPING
The gasoline engine may stop running to
save fuel depending on the available Li-ion
battery charge. The INFINITI Direct Response Hybrid
®
System monitors the status of power being
sent to the electric motor and the Lithium
ion (Li-ion) battery state of charge. The
status is shown on the assist charge gauge
in the meter and the energy flow/remain-
ing Li-ion battery charge in the vehicle
information display. System status can
also be shown when the screen is in the
energy flow mode or energy/fuel history
mode.
JVO0109X
ASSIST CHARGE GAUGE
This gauge indicates the actual electric
motor power consumption and the char-
ging power to the Li-ion battery.
For additional information, see
“Assist
charge gauge” (P.2-8).
ENERGY FLOW
When you use this system, make sure the
hybrid system is in the READY to drive
mode. See“Operation of the INFINITI Direct
Response Hybrid
®System” (P.Hybrid Sys-
tem-4).
Hybrid System OverviewHybrid System-5
ENERGY MONITORS

Hybrid System-6Hybrid System Overview
JVO0111X
All-Wheel Drive (AWD) models
If you use the system with the hybrid
system off (ignition switch placed in the
ACC position) for a long time, it will
discharge the 12-volt battery power, and
the hybrid system will not start.
Energy monitor for various operating
modes can be displayed on the vehicle
information display. (See “1. Energy moni-
tor” (P.2-31).)
This is an example of the Energy Flow
display. The Energy Flow display changes,
depending on the following operating
conditions. The graphic indicates the
amount of power in the Li-ion battery. The following are displayed on the Energy
Flow screen.
.
When the vehicle is powered only by
the electric motor.
. When the vehicle is powered only by
the gasoline engine.
. When the vehicle is powered by both
the electric motor and the gasoline
engine.
. When the vehicle is charging the Li-ion
battery with the regenerative brake and
gasoline engine.
. When the vehicle is charging the Li-ion
battery with the regenerative brake.
. When the vehicle is charging the Li-ion
battery with the gasoline engine.
. When the vehicle is powered by the
gasoline engine and is charging the Li-
ion battery.
. When there is no Energy Flow in the
vehicle
. When the vehicle is driving by the All-
Wheel Drive (AWD) (AWD models).
FUEL ECONOMY HISTORY
The Fuel Economy History screen appears
in the lower display when the screen is in
the Fuel Economy History mode.

JVS0246X
1. Push the MENU*1button and touch
[Information].
2. Touch [Fuel Economy History].
JVO0112X
The Fuel Economy History displays the
vehicle’s average fuel consumption and
regenerative electric power at 2 minute
intervals.
The displayed values on the screen in-
dicate general driving conditions. Accuracy
varies with driving habits and road condi-
tions.
1. Regenerated energy in the past 12 minutes: The regenerated energy in
the past 12 minutes is indicated with
symbols
. One symbol indicates 30
watt-hour. The energy of 30 watt-hour
illuminates a 30 watt bulb for an hour. 2. Fuel consumption (without latest col-
umn) in the past 12 minutes: Fuel
consumption in the past 12 minutes is
displayed.
3. Current fuel consumption (Latest col- umn): The current fuel consumption is
calculated and displayed based on
distance and fuel consumption.
NOTE:
The fuel consumption displays on the
upper side of the fuel economy history
display, and the regenerated energy dis-
plays on the lower side of the economy
history.
Hybrid System OverviewHybrid System-7

Hybrid System-8Hybrid System Overview
When the vehicle decelerates while the
vehicle is driven with the shift lever in the
D (Drive) position or in the manual shift
mode, the Lithium ion (Li-ion) battery can
be charged by the electric motor. The
electric motor converts the energy of the
rotating wheels into electric power under
the following circumstances:
.When the accelerator pedal is released.
. When the brake pedal is depressed.
. When there is no malfunction in the
brake system or the INFINITI Direct
Response Hybrid
®System.
The regenerative brake may not work
properly if the vehicle has tires and road
wheels other than the ones specified in
this manual. Drive your vehicle with smooth accelera-
tion and deceleration.
.
While driving, energy is recovered
through the regenerative brake as the
vehicle decelerates. However, for most
efficient use, do not accelerate or
decelerate your vehicle more than
necessary.
. Avoid abrupt acceleration and decelera-
tion.
. The power of the Lithium ion (Li-ion)
battery can be checked on the Energy
Flow or Energy monitor. See “Energy
Flow” (P.Hybrid System-5) or “Trip
computer” (P.2-31). Gradual or non-
abrupt acceleration and deceleration
will make more effective use of the
electric using gasoline engine power.
. When parking, be sure to place the shift
lever in the P (Park) position. While
driving, place the shift lever in the D
(Drive) position. The Approaching Vehicle Sound for Pedes-
trians (VSP) system is a function that uses
sound to help alert pedestrians of the
presence of the vehicle when it is being
driven at a low speed in the electric drive
mode under the following conditions:
.
The sound starts when the vehicle
starts accelerating.
. 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.
. 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.
The VSP system is automatically turned on
when the vehicle is in the READY to drive
mode.
If there is a malfunction in the VSP system,
the VSP OFF indicator light in the meter
illuminates. See “Approaching Vehicle
Sound for Pedestrians (VSP) OFF indicator
light” (P.2-18).
REGENERATIVE BRAKE EFFICIENT USE OF YOUR VEHICLE APPROACHING VEHICLE SOUND FOR
PEDESTRIANS (VSP) SYSTEM

WARNING
.If the sound from the VSP system is not
heard while driving, stop the vehicle in a
safe and quiet location. Open a window,
and then place the vehicle in the R
(Reverse) position with the brake pedal
firmly depressed. Check that the operat-
ing sound can be heard from the front
side of the vehicle.
. If the sound cannot be heard, immedi-
ately contact an INFINITI retailer for
inspection.
HIGH VOLTAGE COMPONENTS
WARNING
.The INFINITI Direct Response Hybrid®
System uses high voltage up to approxi-
mately 408 volts. The system can be hot
while and after starting. Be careful of
both the high voltage and the high
temperature. Obey the warning labels
attached to the vehicle.
. Never touch, disassemble, remove or
replace the high voltage parts, har-
nesses and their connectors. High vol-
tage harnesses are orange. Touching,
disassembling, removing or replacing
those parts and harnesses can cause
severe burns or electric shock that may
result in serious injury or death.
Hybrid System OverviewHybrid System-9
HYBRID VEHICLE PRECAUTIONS