Nissan Leaf
This is the Nissan Leaf Wiki, the first (and only) vehicle wiki of Car Hacking Wiki. It focuses on the technical internals of the Nissan Leaf. Expect to find details about the components and subsystems that make up the Leaf, electrical, electronic and data specifications, information on known modifications and projects, etc. This is a wiki, so if you have some info, add it in!
Car Hacking Wiki is designed to be a resource that goes into as much depth as possible about cars, their components, their firmware, etc. It starts with the Nissan Leaf, with the dream of growing into a family of wikis covering many different vehicles.
Generations
First generation (ZE0, AZE0)
The first-generation Leaf features a 24kWh or 30kWh battery and an 80kW motor.
ZEO (2011-2012)
The original Leaf
AZE0 (2013-2017)
Often referred to as Gen 2 before the ZE1 was introduced, thereafter sometimes called Gen 1.5. This revision of the Leaf kept the appearance the same, but included several technical changes and improvements.
Changes from ZE0:[1]
- Improved battery chemistry
- 80 kg weight reduction with aluminium doors and bonnet (in JDM models)
- More boot space
- Hill start assist
- Charge plug lock + light
- Insulated ceiling
- Enhanced brake regeneration (B mode) on some trims
- Heat pump instead of resistive heating (on some trims)
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Second generation (ZE1)
The second-generation Leaf features a 40kWh battery with 110kW motor output, or a 62kWh battery with 160kW motor output.
It adds major new features such as ProPilot, automatic parking and one-pedal driving, besides the new look and feel.
Components
Where it makes sense, this section is organised and components are named in accordance with the ZE1 service manual. This is to provide some kind of standard, and also hopefully make it easier to look up disassembly instructions related to the component in question.
Electric Powertrain
- Lithium Ion Battery
- Traction Motor
- Traction Motor Inverter
- Power Delivery Module (PDM) - this includes the On-board Charger (OBC) and DC-DC Converter
Driver Information & Multimedia
- Combination Meter (instrument cluster)
- AV control unit
- Around View Monitor Control Unit
- Telematics Control Unit (TCU)
LAN and Diagnostic
The Nissan Leaf uses multiple CAN buses.
Main article: CAN Buses
- CAN Gateway (ZE1 only)
- OBDII Port
Markets
Trim levels
There are three main trim levels, which are named differently in different markets.[2]
| Base | Mid-Level | Top-Level | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) | S | X | G |
| UK and European Market | Acenta | N-Connecta | Tekna |
| North American Market (NAM) | S (40kWh) and S Plus (62kWh) | SV and SV Plus | SL and SL Plus |
Service Manuals
There are a few ways to obtain service manuals.
- Some can be accessed from an official Nissan website (https://www.nissan-techinfo.com/find.aspx), for a fee. Access can be purchased for periods of 1 day up to a year. This is only available for the North American Market (NAM). These manuals cover every model year and include an electronic service manual (same as in the link below), electronic wiring diagram (which is not available for free in any other known location at the time of writing), and a PDF version of the wiring diagram also as per the link below.
- A ZE1 service manual (NAM) is available at https://www.mediafire.com/file/yoikgbj1l8l7qwi/SM18EA0ZE1U8.zip in the form of an interactive HTML manual, plus a PDF wiring diagram
- The ZE1 Electronic Wiring Diagram is mentioned on this forum post on mhhauto.com.
- 2011-2015 service manuals can be found for free at https://www.nicoclub.com/nissan-service-manuals, in the form of a PDF file per system
- Various websites have ZE0 service manuals available for sale.
Useful Tools
Official Tools
Nissan dealerships use CONSULT-III plus (C-III Plus) to diagnose problems, perform service procedures (like pairing an AV Control Unit to the car) and update the firmware on ECUs. It connects to the vehicle via the OBDII Port.
Third-Party Tools
LeafSpy is an Android app which connects via a Bluetooth OBDII dongle, and can perform many functions such as displaying battery health information, clearing DTCs, changing settings inside some of the ECUs, logging data, etc.
Useful Links
- https://mynissanleaf.com/
- https://mynissanleaf.ru/ (lots of information can be found on the Russian forum that isn't on the English one, and won't be found by an English-language Google search)