2018 INFINITI Q50 HYBRID Owner's Manual

Hybrid System Overview
INFINITI Direct Response
Hybrid®System ......................................... Hybrid System-2
Lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery ................... Hybrid System-2
High voltage cautions ............................. Hybrid System-2
Road accident cautions .......................... Hybrid System-3
Emergency shut-off system .................. Hybrid System-4
Operation of the INFINITI Direct
Response Hybrid
®System ..................... Hybrid System-4
Starting and slow speed driving ..... Hybrid System-5
Medium or high speed driving ......... Hybrid System-5
Rapid acceleration .............................. Hybrid System-5
Deceleration and braking .................. Hybrid System-5
Stopping ................................................ Hybrid System-5 Energy monitors ....................................... Hybrid System-5
Assist charge gauge ......................... Hybrid System-6
Energy Flow ....................................... Hybrid System-6
Fuel economy history ...................... Hybrid System-7
Regenerative brake ................................. Hybrid System-8
Efficient use of your vehicle ................. Hybrid System-8
Approaching Vehicle Sound for
Pedestrians (VSP) system ..................... Hybrid System-9
Hybrid vehicle precautions ................. Hybrid System-10 High voltage components ........... Hybrid System-10
Hybrid vehicle characteristics ...... Hybrid System-11

Hybrid System-2Hybrid System Overview
The INFINITI Direct Response Hybrid®Sys-
tem combines the power of a gasoline
engine and an electric motor to help mini-
mize 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 ser-
ious 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 Re-
sponse Hybrid
®System.
The Li-ion battery has a limited service life. It
is recommended that you contact your
INFINITI retailer for information about re-
cycling or disposal of the battery.
WARNING
. The INFINITI Direct Response Hy-
brid®System uses high voltage up to
approximately 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 vehi-
cle.
. 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 orange. The vehicle high
voltage system has no user service-
able parts. It is recommended that
you take your vehicle to an INFINITI
retailer for any necessary mainte-
nance.
. 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 wear-
ing personal protection equipment
and is part of the high voltage
system. Touching the service plug
can cause severe burns or electric
shock that may result in serious injury
INFINITI DIRECT RESPONSE
HYBRID®SYSTEM LITHIUM-ION (Li-ion) BATTERY HIGH VOLTAGE CAUTIONS

or death.WARNING
In case of a collision:
.If your vehicle is drivable, pull your
vehicle off the road, put the trans-
mission 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 loca-
tions, see “High voltage components”
(P.Hybrid System-10). To avoid per-
sonal injury, never touch high-vol-
tage wiring, connectors, 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. 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 da- maged. Leave the vehicle as soon as
possible.
. Leaks or damage to the Li-ion bat-
tery may result in a fire. If you
discover them, contact emergency
services immediately. Since the fluid
leak may be lithium organic electro-
lyte 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 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 elec-
trical 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 ser-
vices. Advise 1st responders that this
is a hybrid vehicle.
. In the event of an accident that
requires body repair and painting, it
is recommended that the vehicle be
Hybrid System OverviewHybrid System-3
ROAD ACCIDENT CAUTIONS

Hybrid System-4Hybrid System Overview
delivered to an INFINITI retailer to
have the Li-ion battery pack and high
voltage parts such as the inverter,
including the wiring harness, re-
moved prior to painting. Li-ion bat-
tery packs exposed to heat in the
paint booth will experience capacity
loss. Damaged Li-ion battery packs
may also pose safety risks to un-
trained mechanics and repair person-
nel.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 “Warn-
ing lights, indicator lights and audible re-
minders” (P.2-9).
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. If this occurs, it is recom-
mended that you contact an INFINITI re-
tailer. Even if the ignition switch is switched
to READY to drive position, the system may
shut-off suddenly. Therefore, drive cau-
tiously 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.5-11).)
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 auto-
matically. 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.
EMERGENCY SHUT-OFF SYSTEMOPERATION OF THE INFINITI DIRECT
RESPONSE HYBRID®SYSTEM

.Based on driving conditions.
. The shift lever is shifted to the P (Park)
position, the driver’s seat belt is re-
leased 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
DRIVING
The vehicle is driven by the electric motor
depending on the available Li-ion battery
charge.
MEDIUM OR HIGH SPEED DRIV-
ING
The system automatically controls the gaso-
line engine and electric motor in order to
obtain the optimum fuel mileage and per-
formance, 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.
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
®Sys-
tem 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/remaining Li-ion
battery charge in the lower display and the
meter. System status can also be shown
when the screen is in the energy flow mode
or energy/fuel history mode.
Hybrid System OverviewHybrid System-5
ENERGY MONITORS

Hybrid System-6Hybrid System Overview
JVO0109X
ASSIST CHARGE GAUGE
This gauge indicates the actual electric
motor power consumption and the charging
power to the Li-ion battery.
For additional information, see “Assist
charge gauge” (P.2-7).
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).
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 in the lower display.
The energy flow is also displayed in the
vehicle information display. (See “1. Energy
monitor” (P.2-27).)
This is an example of the Energy Flow
display. The Energy Flow display changes,
depending on the following operating con-
ditions. 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 MENUbutton and touch
[Information].
2. Touch [Fuel Economy History].
JVO0112X
The Fuel Economy History displays the
vehicle’s average fuel consumption and re-
generative electric power at 2 minute inter-
vals.
The displayed values on the screen indicate
general driving conditions. Accuracy varies
with driving habits and road conditions.
1. Regenerated energy in the past 12 minutes: The regenerated energy in the
past 12 minutes is indicated with sym-
bols
. One symbol indicates 30 watt-
hour. The energy of 30 watt-hour illu-
minates a 30 watt bulb for an hour.
2. Fuel consumption (without latest col- umn) in the past 12 minutes: Fuel con-
sumption in the past 12 minutes is
Hybrid System OverviewHybrid System-7

Hybrid System-8Hybrid System Overview
displayed.
3. Current fuel consumption (Latest col- umn): The current fuel consumption is
calculated and displayed based on dis-
tance and fuel consumption.
NOTE:
The fuel consumption displays on the upper
side of the fuel economy history display,
and the regenerated energy displays on the
lower side of the economy history. 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 follow-
ing 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 prop-
erly if the vehicle has tires and road wheels
other than the ones specified in this manual. Drive your vehicle with smooth acceleration
and deceleration.
.
While driving, energy is recovered
through the regenerative brake as the
vehicle decelerates. However, for most
efficient use, do not accelerate or de-
celerate your vehicle more than neces-
sary.
. 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-6) or “Trip com-
puter” (P.2-27). Gradual or non-abrupt
acceleration and deceleration will make
more effective use of the electric power,
using less 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.
REGENERATIVE BRAKEEFFICIENT USE OF YOUR VEHICLE