HEV Overview
INFINITI Direct Response Hybrid System..........HEV-2
Lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery .......................HEV-2
High-voltage cautions ........................... HEV-3
Road accident cautions ......................... HEV-3
Emergency shut-off system ......................HEV-4
Operation of the hybrid system ...................HEV-4
Starting and slow speed driving ...............HEV-5
Medium or high speed driving . . ...............HEV-5
Rapid acceleration ........................... HEV-5
Deceleration and braking .....................HEV-5
Stopping ................................... HEV-5
Energy monitors ................................ HEV-6
Assist charge gauge ......................... HEV-6
Energy Flow (models with navigation
system) .................................... HEV-6Fuel Economy
(models with navigation system)
...............HEV-7
Fuel Economy
(models without navigation system) ............HEV-8
Fuel economy history
(models with navigation system) ...............HEV-8
Fuel economy history
(models without navigation system) ............HEV-9
Regenerative brake ............................ HEV-10
Efficient use of your vehicle .....................HEV-11
Approaching Vehicle Sound for Pedestrians (VSP)
System ....................................... HEV-11
Hybrid vehicle precautions ......................HEV-12
High-voltage components and their locations . . HEV-12
Hybrid vehicle characteristics ................HEV-13
WARNING
●The INFINITI Direct Response Hybrid
System uses high voltage up to approxi-
mately 168 volts. The system can be hot
while and after starting. Be careful of
both the high voltage and the high tem-
perature. Obey the warning labels at-
tached to the vehicle.
● Never disassemble, remove or replace
high-voltage parts, harnesses and their
connectors. Touching, disassembling,
removing or replacing those parts and
harnesses can cause severe burns or
electric shock that may result in serious
injury or death. High-voltage harnesses
are colored orange. The vehicle high-
voltage system has no user serviceable
parts. It is recommended that you take
your vehicle to an INFINITI retailer for
any necessary maintenance.
● Never try to remove the service plug
located in the cargo area. 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. Touch-
ing the service plug can cause severe
burns or electric shock that may result
in serious injury or death.
WARNING
In case of a collision:
● If your vehicle is drivable, pull your ve-
hicle off the road, put the transmission
in the P (Park) position, apply the park-
ing 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,
refer to “High-voltage components and
their locations” in this section. To avoid
personal injury, never touch high-
voltage wiring, connectors, and other
high-voltage parts, such as the electric
motor inverter and Li-ion battery. An
electric shock may occur if exposed
electric wires are visible when viewed
from inside or outside of your vehicle.
Therefore, 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 battery, never touch the fluid leak
inside or outside the vehicle. If the fluid
contacts your skin or eyes, wash it off
immediately with a large amount of wa-
ter and receive immediate medical at-
tention 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 extin-
guisher that is meant for use on electri-
cal 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 first
responders that this is a hybrid vehicle.
HIGH-VOLTAGE CAUTIONS ROAD ACCIDENT CAUTIONS
HEV OverviewHEV-3
●In the event of an accident that requires
body repair and painting, the vehicle
should be delivered to an INFINITI re-
tailer to have the Li-ion battery pack
and high-voltage parts such as the in-
verter, including the wiring harness, re-
moved 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 mechan-
ics and repair personnel. 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 Hybrid
System malfunctions
For the above collisions and the certain hybrid
system malfunctions, the READY to drive indica-
tor light will turn off. For additional information,
refer to “Warning lights, indicator lights and au-
dible reminders” in the “Instruments and con-
trols” section of this manual.
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 the READY to drive position; it is
recommended that you visit an INFINITI retailer.
Even if the ignition switch is switched to the
READY to drive position, the system may shut off
suddenly. Therefore, drive cautiously to the near-
est INFINITI retailer or contact an INFINITI retailer
as soon as possible. To start the INFINITI Direct Response Hybrid
System, depress the brake pedal and place the
ignition switch in the ON position when the trans-
mission is in the P (Park) position or N (Neutral)
position (P is recommended) .
CAUTION
Do not start the system in N (Neutral)
position under cold condition of the sys-
tem. Start in the P (Park) position in that
case.
The READY to drive indicator light
flashes
until the hybrid system is ready to drive.
If starting in a low temperature environment, the
flashing time of the READY lamp becomes lon-
ger. It cannot move out from P (Park) during
flashing.
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 auto-
matically. It may stop during deceleration
or when the vehicle is stopped.
EMERGENCY SHUT-OFF SYSTEM OPERATION OF THE HYBRID SYSTEM
HEV-4HEV Overview
The gasoline engine may automatically run in the
following conditions:● The level of remaining charge in the Li-ion
battery is low. The engine runs to charge the
Li-ion battery and to provide power to drive
the vehicle.
● The temperature of the engine coolant is
low.
● When the A/C is used.
● When opening the door.
● When the engine hood is opened.
● When applying the brakes.
● 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.
The engine is hard to stop during these driving
conditions:
● Outside temperature is high/low and A/C is
on.
● When repeatedly starting and stopping the
engine.STARTING AND SLOW SPEED
DRIVING
In some cases, the vehicle can be driven by
electric motor during extremely slow speed
creep, but the engine starts when accelerating or
releasing the brakes.
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, depend-
ing 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 ve-
hicle is driving.
RAPID ACCELERATION
The vehicle is accelerated using both the gaso-
line 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 mo-
tor that changes the energy of the rotating
wheels into electric power. For additional infor-
mation, refer to “Regenerative brake” in this sec-
tion.
STOPPING
The gasoline engine may stop running to save
fuel depending on the available Li-ion battery
charge.
HEV OverviewHEV-5
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 bat-
tery.
The following are displayed on the Energy Flow
display.● When the vehicle is powered only by the
electric motor or gasoline engine.
● When the vehicle is powered by both the
electric motor and the gasoline engine. ●
When the vehicle is charging the Li-ion bat-
tery with the regenerative brake or gasoline
engine.
● When the vehicle is powered by the gaso-
line engine and is charging the Li-ion battery.
● When there is no Energy Flow in the vehicle
The Energy Flow and remaining Li-ion battery
charge can be also shown on the vehicle infor-
mation display. For additional information, refer to
“Vehicle information display” in the “Instruments
and controls” section of this manual.FUEL ECONOMY (models with
navigation system)
Press the INFO button on the control panel.
Highlight the “Fuel Economy” key on the display
by using the INFINITI controller and press the
ENTER button or select the “Fuel Economy” key
by touching the touch-screen.
This screen displays the rate of fuel consumption
and distance to empty.
LSD2662LSD2665
HEV OverviewHEV-7
●Fuel consumption in the past 12 minutes:
Fuel consumption in the past 12 minutes is
displayed.
● Current fuel consumption (Last column):
The current fuel consumption is calculated
and displayed based on distance and fuel
consumption.
NOTE:
Information shown in the yellow column
means current (within 2 minutes) and infor-
mation shown in the blue columns means
past (more than 2 minutes) . This vehicle is equipped with two braking sys-
tems:
● Hydraulic brake system
● Regenerative brake system
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 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 circum-
stances: ● 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 Hy-
brid System
The regenerative brake may not work properly if
the vehicle is installed with tires and road wheels
other than the ones specified in this manual.
While the regenerative cooperative brake system
is operating, you might feel a slight vibration or
hear the system working when braking. This is
normal. The regenerative cooperative brake system con-
trols both the hydraulic and regenerative brakes.
If you feel unusual deceleration when braking,
have the brake and hybrid systems checked. It is
recommended that you visit an INFINITI retailer
for this service.
REGENERATIVE BRAKE
HEV-10HEV Overview
Drive your vehicle with smooth accelera-
tion and deceleration.● While driving, energy is recovered through
the regenerative brake as the vehicle decel-
erates. However, for most efficient use, do
not accelerate or decelerate your vehicle
more than necessary.
● Avoid abrupt acceleration and deceleration.
● The power of the Li-ion battery can be
checked on the Energy Flow display in the
center display (models with navigation sys-
tem) or Li-ion battery status meter in the
vehicle information display. For additional
information, refer to “Energy Flow (models
with navigation system)” in this section or
“Trip computer” in the “Instruments and con-
trols” section of this manual. Gradual or non-
abrupt acceleration and deceleration will
make more effective use of the electric
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 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 con-
ditions:
● The sound starts when the vehicle starts
accelerating.
● The sound stops when the vehicle speed is
more than 19 mph (30 km/h) while acceler-
ating only when vehicle is powered by the
electric motor.
● The sound starts when the vehicle speed is
less than 16 mph (25 km/h) while deceler-
ating only when vehicle is powered by the
electric motor.
● 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.
For additional information, refer to “Approaching
Vehicle Sound for Pedestrians (VSP) OFF indi-
cator light” in the “Instruments and controls” sec-
tion of this manual.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 (Re-
verse) position with the brake pedal
firmly depressed. Check that the oper-
ating sound can be heard from the front
side of the vehicle.
● If the sound cannot be heard, it is rec-
ommended that you immediately con-
tact an INFINITI retailer for inspection.
EFFICIENT USE OF YOUR VEHICLE APPROACHING VEHICLE SOUND FOR PEDESTRIANS (VSP) SYSTEM
HEV OverviewHEV-11
An air vent is located on the rear side trim panels
Ato cool the high-voltage battery. If the vent is
covered, the battery will overheat resulting in
reduced output performance of the hybrid sys-
tem. For additional information, refer to “Lithium-
ion (Li-ion) battery air vent” in the “Appearance
and care” section of this manual.
You may hear the noise of the cooling fan from the
air vent.
CAUTION
Do not place objects over or into the air
vent. The Li-ion battery or DC/DC con-
verter may overheat and be damaged.
CAUTION
Do not load large amounts of water in
open containers (aquariums or buckets)
into the vehicle. If the water spills onto the
Li-ion battery, it may cause a short circuit
and damage the battery, Li-ion battery, or
DC/DC converter.
Noise and vibration
After the hybrid system is activated, the following
noises and vibrations that are unique to the hy-
brid system may occur. This does not indicate a
malfunction.
● Electric motor noise from the engine com-
partment
● Noise from the rear of the vehicle when the
hybrid system activates or deactivates
● Noise and vibration when the gasoline en-
gine starts running or stops
● Operating noise or electric motor noise
when releasing the accelerator pedal or de-
pressing the brake pedal
● Engine noise due to rapid acceleration
● Fan noise from the air inlet located on the
rear parcel shelf
● Noise from the climate control system ●
Noise from the vehicle in order to alert pe-
destrians to the presence of an approaching
vehicle. For additional information, refer to
“Approaching Vehicle Sound for Pedestri-
ans (VSP) system” in this section.
LPD2173
HEV-14HEV Overview