battery NISSAN LEAF 2015 1.G First Responders Guide

Foreword
This
manual describes first response operations and related warnings for this vehicle.
This vehicle is an electrically driven car equipped with a high voltage battery pack. Failure to follow
recommended practices during emergency responses will cause death or serious personal
injury.
Please read this manual in advance in order to understand the features of this vehicle and to help you deal
with incidents involving this vehicle. Follow the procedures in order to help assure a safe and successful
first response operation.
This manual is periodically updated. If you are not viewing this manual on the Nissan web site, we urge you
to go to www.nissanusa.com orwww.nissan-techinfo.com to make sure you have the most recent version of
this

manual.
NISSAN EMERGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION • Nissan EV Customer Support: 1-877-664-2738 (Hours of operation are Monday-Friday7am - 7pm, Saturday 8am - 4:30pm Central time zone)
• Nissan Consumer Affairs: 1-800-647-7261 (US) or 1-800-387-0122 (Canada) (Hours of operation are 8am - 5pm (Monday-Friday) Eastern, Central and Pacific time zones)
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THIS MANUAL
You may see various symbols in this manual. They have the following meanings: This symbol is used to inform you of an operation which will result in death or serious personal injury if
instructions

are not followed.
Example: Touching high voltage components without using the appropriate protective equipment will result
in electrocution. This symbol is used to inform you of an operation which may cause death or serious personal injury if
instructions

are not followed.This symbol is used to inform you of an operation which may cause personal injury or component damage if
instructions

are not followed.
Please note that there may be differences between this manual and the vehicle specification due to
specification changes.
FRG–2

Table of Contents
FOREWORD
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FRG–2
NISSAN EMERGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FRG–2
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THIS MANUAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FRG–2
1. ABOUT THE NISSAN LEAF® . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FRG–4
1-1 LEAF IDENTIFICATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FRG–51-1.1 EXTERIOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FRG–5
1-1.2 INTERIOR COMPONENT LOCATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FRG–6
1-2 VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER (VIN) LAYOUT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FRG–7
1-3 WARNING AND INDICATOR LAMP INFORMATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FRG–7
2. BASIC HIGH VOLTAGE SYSTEM AND 12V SYSTEM INFORMATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FRG–8 2-1 HIGH VOLTAGE-RELATED AND 12V-RELATED COMPONENT LOCATIONS AND
DESCRIPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FRG–82-1.1 LI-ION BATTERY PACK SPECIFICATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FRG–10
2-2 HIGH VOLTAGE SAFETY MEASURES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FRG–10 2-2.1 WARNING LABEL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FRG–10
2-3 HIGH VOLTAGE CIRCUIT SHUT-OFF SYSTEM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FRG–11
2-4 PREVENTING ELECTRICAL SHOCK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FRG–11
2-5 EMERGENCY MEDICAL EQUIPMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FRG–11
3. EMERGENCY RESPONSE STEPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FRG–12 3-1 PREPARATION ITEMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FRG–133-1.1 PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT (PPE) PROTECTIVE WEAR
CONTROL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FRG–13
3-1.2 DAILY INSPECTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FRG–13
3-1.3 INSULATED TOOLS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FRG–14
3-2 VEHICLE IMMOBILIZATION AND STABILIZATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FRG–14
3-3 HOW TO HANDLE A DAMAGED VEHICLE AT AN ACCIDENT SCENE . . . . . . . . . . . . . FRG–15 3-3.1 HIGH VOLTAGE SYSTEM SHUT-DOWN PROCEDURES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FRG–16
3-3.2 WATER SUBMERSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FRG–26
3-3.3 VEHICLE FIRE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FRG–26
3-3.4 CUTTING THE VEHICLE BODY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FRG–27
3-3.5 LI-ION BATTERY DAMAGE AND FLUID LEAKS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FRG–32
3-3.6 ACCESSING THE OCCUPANTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FRG–32
3-4 STORING THE VEHICLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FRG–34
4. EMERGENCY QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FRG–35
FRG–3

1. About The Nissan LEAF®
This
vehicle uses two types of batteries. One is a 12V battery that is the same as the battery in vehicles
powered by internal combustion engines, and the other is the Lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery (high voltage) for
the traction motor which propels the vehicle. The Li-ion battery is encased in steel and mounted underneath
the vehicle.
The vehicle must be plugged-in in order for the Li-ion battery to be recharged. Additionally, the vehicle
system can recharge the Li-ion battery by converting driving force into electricity while the vehicle is
decelerating or being driven downhill. This is called regenerative charging. This vehicle is considered to be
an environmentally friendly vehicle because it does not emit exhaust gases.
FRG–4

1-2 Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) Layout
The
vehicle identification number can be located as follows: Example VIN : 1N4A Z0CPXFC053500
The LEAF is identified by the 5
thalphanumeric character: Z
Z = Electric vehicle
1. VIN plate (visible through windshield) 2. Vehicle certification plate (lower center pillar)
1-3 Warning and Indicator Lamp Information
The following warning and indicator lamps are located in the instrument cluster. Lamp Name
Icon Description
READ

Y Indicator This lamp is on when the EV system is powered up and the
vehicle

is ready to drive.
EV System Warning Lamp *1 • Malfunction has occurred in the EV system and/or
•

Emergency shut-off system has been activated. The shut-
off system activates in the following conditions:
– Front and side collisions in which the air bags are deployed.
– Certain rear collisions.
– Certain EV system malfunctions.
Master Warning Lamp (RED) This lamp is on when another red warning lamp is displayed in
the

instrument cluster or a warning is displayed on the dot
matrix LCD.
Master Warning Lamp
(YELLOW) This lamp is on when:
•

Li-ion battery is getting low on charge.
• A yellow warning lamp is displayed in the instrument cluster or a message is displayed on the dot matrix LCD.
*1: When this lamp is ON, the ready lamp will turn OFF. 1
2
AAYIA0090ZZ
FRG–7

NOTE:
Components with white number in black background are high voltage components.No. Component
LocationDescription
Charge

port Under hood Connecting port for EVSE (Electric Vehicle
Supply Equipment) . Two ports are available:
Normal charge and quick charge (if so
equipped) .
High voltage
cables Under hood and
undercarriage Orange-colored power cables carry high volt-
age current between each of the high voltage
components.
Traction Motor Under hood Converts three-phase AC power to drive
power (torque) which propels the vehicle.
Inverter Under hood Converts the DC power stored in the Li-ion
battery to three-phase AC power and controls
motor torque (revolution) by regulating the
motor current.
Electric air condi-
tioner compressor Under hood
Air conditioner compressor
Power Delivery
Module (PDM)
• On Board Charger
• DC/DC Converter
• High voltage junction box (J/B) Under hood
The PDM includes an On Board Charger, DC/DC
converter and high voltage junction box (J/B) .
The On Board Charger converts single-phase AC
power from a home power outlet to DC power and
increases the voltage in order to charge the Li-ion
battery.
The DC/DC converter reduces the voltage of the Li-ion
battery to provide power to the 12V battery in order to
operate the vehicle’s electric components (headlights,
audio system, etc.) .
The J/B provides electric power from the Li-ion battery
to all high voltage parts of the vehicle.
12V Battery Under hood A lead-acid battery that supplies power to the low
voltage devices.
Cabin heater Interior (This unit is
installed behind the
instrument panel) This is the electric heat source for the cabin
heater. It heats the interior of the vehicle.
Li-ion (Lithium ion)
battery Undercarriage Stores and outputs DC power (Maximum voltage
398.4V) needed to propel the vehicle.
High voltage battery
service disconnect Rear seat floor Isolates the battery from the rest of the high volt-
age electrical system.
Brake power supply
backup unit Cargo area (This unit
is installed behind a
trim panel to prevent
access) Power supply backup unit for the brake system. It
supplies power to the brake system if a malfunc-
tion occurs in the 12V battery.
FRG–9

2-1.1 Li-ion Battery Pack Specifications
Li-ion battery voltage
360V nominal
(240V - 398.4V usable range)
Number of Li-ion battery modules in the pack 48
Li-ion battery dimensions 60.91 x 46.77 x 10.39 in. (1547 x 1188 x 264 mm)
Li-ion battery weight 606 lbs (275 kg)
2-2 High Voltage Safety Measures Circuit insulation
The high voltage positive (+) and negative (-) circuits are insulated
from
the metal chassis.
Reducing the risk of electrocution The high voltage components and harnesses have insulated cases or orange-colored coverings which provide insulation and easy
identification.
The high voltage battery case is electrically connected to the vehicle ground.
This connection helps protect the vehicle occupants and emergency
responders from high voltage electrical shock.
Identification The high voltage components are labeled “WARNING” similar to label
shown below. All high voltage harnesses are coated in orange.
2-2.1 Warning Label AAYIA0147ZZ
FRG–10

2-3 High Voltage Circuit Shut-Off System
The
high voltage can be shut off by the following methods: Service plug
Positioned in the center area of the Li-ion battery, this shuts off output high
voltage
when manually removed.
System main relay (located
in high voltage battery) Controlled by the power switch, this relay, which is controlled by the 12V
system, shuts off the high voltage from the Li-ion battery.
Emergency shut-off sys-
tem In the case of a collision (front and side collisions in which the air bags are
deployed, certain rear collisions) or certain system malfunctions this system
is designed to shut off the high voltage from the Li-ion battery.
Charging connector Some of the high voltage components are activated during charging. Remove the charging connector to deactivate these components.
2-4 Preventing Electrical Shock 1.
If it is necessary to touch any of the high voltage harnesses or components, you must always wear
appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) (refer to 3-1 Preparation Items (FRG–13)
) and
shut off the high voltage system by referring to 3-3.1 High Voltage System Shut-Down
Procedures

(FRG–16) .
2.

To avoid the risk of electrocution, NEVER touch the inside of the Li-ion battery unless appropriate
PPE is worn even after shutting off the high voltage system. The Li-ion battery maintains charge
even though the high voltage system is shut down.
3. Cover any damaged high voltage components with insulated tape.
2-5 Emergency Medical Equipment
The high voltage system should not interfere with emergency medical equipment which must be used in or
near the vehicle at an accident scene.
FRG–11

3-1 Preparation Items
Preparation Items
Specification Purpose
Personal Protective Equip-
ment (PPE):
Insulated gloves Up to 1,000V
For
protection from high voltage elec-
trical shock
Insulated shoes –
Safety

shield –
W

renches Size:10mm
T
o remove the service plug access
cover bolts.
To remove the 12V battery terminal bolt.
Solvent resistant protection
gloves –
To utilize in the event of a Li-ion bat-
tery electrolytic solution leak.
Solvent resistant protection
shoes –
Absorbent pad The same pad used for internal
combustion engine fluids can be
used. To absorb any Li-ion battery electro-
lytic solution leakage.
Standard fire fighting equip-
ment Standard fire fighting equipment
Depending on type of fire (vehicle
or battery) use standard fire
fighting equipment (water or
extinguisher) . To extinguish a fire.
Insulated tape Insulating To cover any damaged harnesses to
protect from and prevent electrical
shock. Tape should cover all bare or
damaged wire.
3-1.1 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Protective Wear Control
Perform an inspection of the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) items before beginning work. Do not use
any damaged PPE items.
3-1.2 Daily Inspection
This inspection is performed before and after use. The responder who will be using the items should
perform the inspection and check for deterioration and damage. • Insulated rubber gloves should be inspected for scratches, holes and tears. (Visual check and airleakage test)
• Insulated safety boots should be inspected for holes, damage, nails, metal pieces, wear or other problems on the soles. (Visual check)
• Insulated rubber sheet should be inspected for tears. (Visual check)
FRG–13

3-1.3 Insulated Tools
When
performing work at locations where high voltage is applied (such as terminals) , use insulated tools
meeting 1,000V/300A specifications.
3-2 Vehicle Immobilization and Stabilization
If possible, immobilize the vehicle by turning the 12V system OFF and stabilize it with a wheel chock(s) .
Stabilize the vehicle with cribbing, by removing air from the tires, or utilize the Lift Airbag Equipment for
rescue. • Do not stabilize the vehicle with cribbing under the Li-ion battery.
•

To avoid electrical shock, do not put the Lift Airbag Equipment for rescue and wheel
chock(s) under the high voltage components and harnesses as shown following. =
= Li-ion battery
Do Not Lift Zone
3N-3 3N-4
3N-1 3N-2 Li-ion batteryDAN
GER AAYIA0055GB
FRG–14

3-3 How to Handle a Damaged Vehicle at an Accident Scene
NO
TE:
If any air bags have deployed in the following 3 situations, the high-voltage (HV) system has
been designed to automatically shut off at the time of deployment.
The Nissan LEAF high-voltage system incorporates capacitors which are energized whenever the high-
voltage system is on. If the high-voltage system is shut down (either through one of the built-in automatic
mechanisms or manually through one of the procedures explained in this FRG) , the capacitors will begin to
gradually discharge. After 5 minutes, the voltage level will have dropped below 60V, and complete
discharge requires approximately 10 minutes after high-voltage system shut down. It is within
this period of time that responders must be most cautious.
When arriving to an incident involving a Nissan LEAF, the vehicle should be approached with caution and
inspected for the level of damage. In addition to overall vehicle condition (location and severity of body
damage, air bag deployment, etc.) , the high-voltage system should be assessed specifically. The locations
of the high-voltage component parts are illustrated in this FRG. Refer to 2-1 High Voltage-Related and
12V-Related

Component Locations and Descriptions (FRG–8) . Appropriate Personal Protective Equipment
(PPE)

must always be worn when approaching a vehicle of unknown condition, as described in this FRG.
Situation 1) High voltage system intact, occupants can be accessed without extrication tools
The HV system can be shut down by following the procedures in this guide, while wearing appropriate PPE.
After HV system shut down, occupant assistance can begin immediately, and no wait period is necessary.
Situation 2) High voltage system intact, occupants cannot be accessed without extrication tools
The HV system can be shut down by following the procedure in this guide, while wearing appropriate PPE.
After HV system shut down, absolute care must be taken not to cut through or damage any HV system
wiring, battery or components within ten (10) minutes of HV system shut down, but occupant
assistance operations using extrication equipment can begin immediately. The locations of the HV
components are illustrated in this guide.
Situation 3) High-voltage (HV) system damaged
If there is any evidence that the HV system has been compromised (such as arcing/sparking, orange wiring
harnesses cut or damaged, HV component casings damaged, etc.) , the responder may still be at risk of
high voltage exposure. The vehicle must be approached with extreme caution prior to initiating any system
shut down procedures or rendering assistance to occupants. Appropriate PPE must always be worn as
described in this guide, and the ten (10) minute wait time must be observed after HV system shut
down in order to ensure the system is de-energized.
In rare situations where vehicle damage is very severe, HV system shut down procedures as described in
this guide may not work. In these instances extreme caution and appropriate risk management must be
followed to prevent shock or electrocution to the responder or occupant.
FRG–15