MODIFICATION OF YOUR VEHICLE
This vehicle should not be modified.
Modification could affect its perfor-
mance, safety or durability, and may
even violate governmental regula-
tions. In addition, damage or perfor-
mance problems resulting from modi-
fication may not be covered under
NISSAN warranties.
WARNING
Installing an af termarket On-Board Di-
agnostic (OBD) plug-in device that
uses the port during normal driving,
for example remote insurance com-
pany monitoring, remote vehicle diag-
nostics, telematics or engine repro-
gramming, may cause interference or
damage to vehicle systems. We do not
recommend or endorse the use of any
af termarket OBD plug-in devices, un-
less specifically approved by NISSAN.
The vehicle warranty may not cover
damage caused by any af termarket
plug-in device. This manual includes information for all
features and equipment available on this
model. Features and equipment in your ve-
hicle may vary depending on model, trim
level, options selected, order, date of pro-
duction, region or availability. Therefore,
you may find information about features or
equipment that are not included or in-
stalled on your vehicle.
All information, specifications and illustra-
tions in this manual are those in effect at
the time of printing. NISSAN reserves the
right to change specifications, perfor-
mance, design or component suppliers
without notice and without obligation.
From time to time, NISSAN may update or
revise this manual to provide Owners with
the most accurate information currently
available. Please carefully read and retain
with this manual all revision updates sent
to you by NISSAN to ensure you have
access to accurate and up-to-date
information regarding your vehicle. Current
versions of vehicle Owner's Manuals and
any updates can also be found in the
Owner section of the NISSAN website at
https://owners.nissanusa.com/nowners/
navigation/manualsGuide. If you have ques-tions concerning any information in your
Owner's Manual, contact NISSAN Con-
sumer Affairs. For contact information, re-
fer to the NISSAN CUSTOMER CARE PRO-
GRAM page in this Owner’s Manual.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT
THIS MANUAL
You will see various symbols in this manual.
They are used in the following ways:
WARNING
This is used to indicate the presence of
a hazard that could cause death or se-
rious personal injury. To avoid or re-
duce the risk, the procedures must be
followed precisely.
CAUTION
This is used to indicate the presence of
a hazard that could cause minor or
moderate personal injury or damage
to your vehicle. To avoid or reduce the
risk, the procedures must be followed
carefully.
WHEN READING THE MANUAL
EV Overview
The EV (Electric Vehicle) system...........EV-2
Li-ion battery .......................EV-2
Driving with a discharged Li-ion battery . . . .EV-3
Charging the 12-volt battery ............EV-5
Li-ion battery warmer ................EV-5
High voltage precautions ...............EV-9
High-voltage components .............EV-9
Road accident precautions ..............EV-10
Emergency shut-off system ...........EV-10
EV characteristics ................... .EV-11
Noise and vibration ................ .EV-12
Life with an EV (scene guide) .............EV-12
Charging the Li-ion battery ............EV-12
Before driving your vehicle (models with
Navigation System) ................ .EV-15
Checking Li-ion battery charging status . . .EV-15 Operating the climate control system before
driving
.........................EV-16
Starting your vehicle ................EV-17
Driving the vehicle ................. .EV-18
Charging af ter driving ...............EV-22
Efficient use of your vehicle .............EV-23
Range .........................EV-23
Improve driving range ...............EV-23
Li-ion battery life ................. .EV-24
Li-ion battery maintenance ...........EV-25
EV unique information ................ .EV-25
Meters and indicators ...............EV-25
Approaching Vehicle Sound for Pedestrians
(VSP) system .................... .EV-28
Electric shif t control system ...........EV-29
LED headlight (low beam) (if so equipped) . .EV-29
Driving range .................... .EV-29
NOTE:
•If the outside temperature is −13°F
(−25°C) or less, the Li-ion battery may
freeze and it cannot be charged or pro-
vide power to run the vehicle. Move the
vehicle to a warm location.
• The capacity of the Li-ion battery in
your vehicle to hold a charge will, like all
such batteries, decrease with time and
usage. As the battery ages and capacity
decreases, this will result in a decrease
from the vehicle’s initial mileage range.
This is normal, expected, and not in-
dicative of any defect in your Li-ion bat-
tery.
• The Li-ion battery has limited service
life, and when its charging capacity falls
below a specific level, the EV system
warning light will illuminate. Owners
should bring their vehicle in for inspec-
tion and possible battery replacement.
• It is recommended that you visit a
NISSAN certified LEAF dealer for infor-
mation about recycling or disposal of
the Li-ion battery. Do not attempt to re-
cycle or dispose of the Li-ion battery
yourself.
DRIVING WITH A DISCHARGED
LI-ION BATTERY
When a destination is set in the navigation
system (if so equipped) that exceeds the
available vehicle range, the navigation sys-
tem automatically searches the location of
nearby charging stations. When the nearby
charging station locations are displayed,
charge the Li-ion battery as soon as pos-
sible.
Warning lights illuminate on the instru-
ment panel and messages are displayed
on the vehicle information display to in-
form you that the Li-ion battery charge is
low. Instructions are also displayed on the
navigation system screen (if so equipped)
to direct you to nearby charging stations.
The vehicle's range is very limited when
these warning lights illuminate and mes-
sages are displayed. Follow the instruc-
tions on the navigation system screen (if so
equipped) and immediately charge the ve-
hicle at the nearest charging station.
There are three levels of information that
will be displayed as the Li-ion battery be-
comes discharged: 1. The following warning lights illuminate
on the instrument panel and messages
are displayed on the vehicle information
display at the same time to indicate low
Li-ion battery charge:
• The low battery charge indicator light
• The master warning light
EV OverviewEV-3
• The “Battery charge is low, Charge now”warning message is displayed on the
vehicle information display.
• Messages are displayed on the naviga- tion system screen (if so equipped).
• For additional information, refer to “Low battery charge indicator” in the “Instru-
ments and controls” section of this
manual.
• The driving range flashes
1.
NOTE:
Due to traffic conditions, it may be dif-
ficult to get to the charging station
suggested by the navigation system
(if so equipped). If the Li-ion battery is
almost completely discharged, drive
directly to the nearest charging sta-
tion.2. If the vehicle is driven and the Li-ion bat-
tery continues to discharge, the driving
range on the instrument panel changes
to “— — —”2.
Messages are displayed on the naviga-
tion system screen (if so equipped). For
additional information, refer to “Li-ion
battery available charge gauge” in the
“Instruments and controls” section of
this manual.
EV-4EV Overview
The Li-ion battery warmer uses electrical
power from an external source when a
charger is connected to the vehicle. The
Li-ion battery warmer uses electrical
power from the Li-ion battery when the
charger is not connected to the vehicle.
NOTE:
•Connect the charger to the vehicle and
place the power switch in the OFF posi-
tion when parking the vehicle if tem-
peratures may go below -1°F (-17°C). This
provides external power to the Li-ion
battery warmer when it operates and
does not discharge the Li-ion battery.
• The charging status indicator lights illu-
minate in a specific pattern when the
Li-ion battery warmer operates. The
charging status indicator lights use the
same pattern to indicate 12-volt battery
charging, Climate Ctrl. Timer operation
or Remote Climate Control operation
(models with Navigation System). The
charging status indicator lights do not
change if the Li-ion battery warmer op-
erates at the same time as the above
features. For additional information, re- fer to “Charging status indicator lights”
in the “Charging” section of this manual.
• The Li-ion battery warmer uses Li-ion
battery power to operate, even if the
vehicle is connected to a charger when:
– The vehicle's power switch is in the ON position.
– There is no electrical power being supplied to the charging equipment.
• When the Li-ion battery warmer is al-
ready in operation using an external
power source, it will continue to use the
external power even if the power switch
is placed in the ON position.
• Vehicle driving range is reduced if the
Li-ion battery warmer operates (Li-ion
battery temperature approximately
-1°F (-17°C) or colder) while driving the
vehicle. You may need to charge the Li-
ion battery sooner than in warmer tem-
peratures.
• The Li-ion battery requires more time to
charge when the Li-ion battery warmer
operates. •
The predicted charging time displayed
on the meter and navigation system (if
so equipped) increases when the Li-ion
battery warmer operates.
• Climate control performance is reduced
when using the Climate Ctrl. Timer or
Remote Climate Control (models with
Navigation System) while the Li-ion bat-
tery warmer operates.
• The Li-ion battery may not charge to
the expected level using the charging
timer while the Li-ion battery warmer
operates.
For models with 62 kWh battery
CAUTION
The Li-ion battery warmer does not
operate if the normal charger is not
connected to the vehicle. To help pre-
vent the Li-ion battery from freezing,
do not leave the vehicle in an environ-
ment if temperatures may go below
-4°F (-20°C) unless the vehicle is con-
nected to a charger.
EV-6EV Overview
The Li-ion battery warmer helps to prevent
the Li-ion battery from freezing when the
temperature is cold. The Li-ion battery
warmer automatically turns on when the
Li-ion battery temperature is approxi-
mately -4°F (-20°C) or colder and outside
temperature is approximately -11°F (-24°C)
or colder. The Li-ion battery warmer auto-
matically turns off when the Li-ion battery
temperature is approximately 0°F (-18°C) or
higher, or outside temperature is approxi-
mately -8°F (-22°C) or higher.
The Li-ion battery warmer operates when
the normal charger is connected to the
vehicle, and it automatically uses electrical
power from either the external source or
from the Li-ion battery.
NOTE:
•Connect the charger to the vehicle and
place the power switch in the OFF posi-
tion when parking the vehicle if tem-
peratures may go below -4°F (-20°C).
The Li-ion battery warmer automati-
cally uses electrical power from either
the external source or from the Li-ion
battery, based on the amount of re-
maining Li-ion battery. •
The charging status indicator lights illu-
minate in a specific pattern when the
Li-ion battery warmer operates. The
charging status indicator lights use the
same pattern to indicate 12–volt bat-
tery charging, Climate Ctrl. Timer opera-
tion or Remote Climate Control opera-
tion (models with Navigation System).
The charging status indicator lights do
not change if the Li-ion battery warmer
operates at the same time as the above
features. For additional information, re-
fer to “Charging status indicator lights”
in the “Charging” section of this manual.
• The automatic climate control auto-
matically turns on when the Li-ion bat-
tery warmer uses electrical power from
the Li-ion battery. This is not a malfunc-
tion. When the Li-ion battery warmer
operates, the temperature inside the
vehicle may be warmed up.
• The Li-ion battery will be automatically
charged when the Li-ion battery
warmer uses electrical power from an
extended source. When outside tem-
perature goes below -4°F (-20°C) for
many days, frequent Li-ion battery
warmer operation may occur, and more electric power will be charged from an
external source. Do not connect the
normal charger to the vehicle if you do
not want to turn on the Li-ion battery
warmer. In this case, do not leave the
vehicle in an environment if tempera-
tures may go below -4°F (-20°C).
• When the Li-ion battery warmer is al-
ready in operation using an external
source, it will continue to use the exter-
nal power even if the power switch is
placed in the ON position.
• The Li-ion battery warmer will stop if
the power switch is placed in the ON
position while the Li-ion battery
warmer is using electrical power from
the Li-ion battery. To turn on the Li-ion
battery warmer again, place the power
switch in the OFF position.
• The Li-ion battery warmer will stop if
the charging connector is removed
from the normal charger while the Li-
ion battery warmer is operating. To turn
on the Li-ion battery warmer again,
connect the charging connector to the
vehicle. The Li-ion battery warmer will
operate again af ter about 1 hour.
EV OverviewEV-7
•The Li-ion battery warmer will stop if
the charging connector of the quick
charger is connected to the vehicle
while the Li-ion battery warmer is oper-
ating. To turn on the Li-ion battery
warmer again, remove the charging
connector of the quick charger from the
vehicle.
• The Li-ion battery requires more time to
charge to the expected level when the
Li-ion battery warmer operates.
• The predicted charging time displayed
on the meter increases when the Li-ion
battery warmer uses electrical power
from the Li-ion battery.
• The Climate Ctrl. Timer or Remote Cli-
mate Control (models with Navigation
System) does not turn on while the
Li-ion battery warmer operates. This is
not a malfunction. •
The charging timer or remote charge
(models with Navigation System) does
not turn on while the Li-ion battery
warmer operates. This is not a malfunc-
tion.
• The Li-ion battery may not be charged
to the expected level using the charging
timer while the Li-ion battery warmer
operates.
• If the Li-ion battery warmer automati-
cally stops because of the Li-ion battery
temperature or outside temperature
change, charging will continue until the
Li-ion battery is fully charged.
EV-8EV Overview
•Less deceleration is provided by the re-
generative brake system when the Li-
ion battery is fully charged. The regen-
erative brake is automatically reduced
when the Li-ion battery is fully charged
to prevent the Li-ion battery from be-
coming overcharged. The regenerative
brake is also automatically reduced
when the battery temperature is high/
low (indicated by the red/blue zones on
the Li-ion battery temperature gauge)
to prevent Li-ion battery damage.
• The brake pedal should be used to slow
or stop the vehicle depending on traffic
or road conditions. The vehicle brakes
are not affected by the regenerative
brake system operation.NOISE AND VIBRATION
You might experience the following noise
or vibration as a normal characteristic of
this vehicle:
• Traction motor noise from the motor
compartment.
• Water pump and radiator fan noise while charging.
• Compressor and radiator fan noise when the Climate Ctrl. Timer or remote climate
control (models with Navigation System)
is used.
• Relay operation noise and vibration at start-up and shut-down of the EV system
(power switch placed in the ON and OFF
position).
• Approaching Vehicle Sound for Pedestri- ans (VSP). This section provides a brief explanation
for the most important LEAF functions. For
additional information, refer to the specific
sections of this manual for detailed expla-
nations of the vehicle features and opera-
tion.
CHARGING THE LI-ION BATTERY
WARNING
The EV system uses a high voltage cur-
rent. Failure to follow the proper han-
dling instructions may cause serious
injury or death. Be sure to read the
“Charging” section and follow the pro-
cedures and guidelines described.
LIFE WITH AN EV (SCENE GUIDE)
EV-12EV Overview