Author Archives: lukefrugalev

As avid readers of this blog might have noticed, I have not done a trip report in a while. Mostly because motorway travel in an EV is not really an issue these days. New EVs can easilly cover 300 km without charging, and once at a charging station one charges up before the driver enjoysContinue reading “Montreal”

Earlier this year two old stalwarths in Tesla’s lineup called it quits. After 14 years on the market, it became official and Tesla announced that 2026 would be the last model year for the Model S and X. While it is true that both of these models are long in the tooth, and to someContinue reading “The demise of the Tesla model S and X”

The battery in my EV is 3-4 times bigger than the one in my home battery system. This could make quite the difference, in a prolonged power outage, that 3-4 times capacity sure would be nice. Lets explore some options for how my EV would be connected to the grid. Briefly an EV can beContinue reading “EV to Grid?”

Suppose you are concerned about the state of the EV market (source), and lets say it so happens you are not the prime minister, but a policy maker on a more local level, say Major, City counsellor etc. What can we do? Turns out lots, lets dole out some free advice to our city/town policyContinue reading “5 local things to speed the EV transition”

Ontario started the Ivy charging network back in 2020 (source). Ivy operates on most Onroute rest-stops common along Ontario’s highways (source), as well as other locations. In my experience, reliability has been better than average, perhaps 90% or so first charge success, hence I would check plugshare and the Ivy-app ahead of time. I foundContinue reading “Charging on the new Ivy Kempower chargers”

Had a chance to have a peak at the new 2026 Nissan LEAF during a charging stop, in my trusty 2018 Nissan LEAF. The new version rides taller than its predicessor, it is now firmly in crossover territory. Like its predicessor, there are two charge ports, a J1772 for L2 charging, and a NACS portContinue reading “A new LEAF”

My home battery provider has optional DC expansion packs available. Briefly, this would add another 13.5 kWh to the existing 13.5 kWh netting a total capacity of 27 kWh. This would allow me to add DC capacity to my home battery system which would provide some benefits, particularly with Toronto Hydro eh, not forbidding brownContinue reading “The case for a home battery expansion”

Long considdered a stalwarth in the “affordable” EV market, the Bolt EV is a very unique EV. At this price point, 43k CAD (source), it offers loads of range, a roomy interior and decent charging performance. It was never particularly inspiring, but it got the job done at a very sensible price point. It launchedContinue reading “What is up with the Chevy Bolt?”

Lately nuclear has been getting a lot of press here in Ontario. To be clear, we have nothing against Nuclear, provided it can deliver on the original promisse of abundand, clean and most notably cheap electricity. As we go through the math, looking at recent funding announcements and the expected generation from these nuclear facilities,Continue reading “Dougies Nuclear Folly”

Imagine you bought yourself a nice new Tesla Model 3 back in July of 2023, you might have splashed out $85k CAD for a performance variant (source, and source), these days, in early 2026, one can be found for $35k on autotrader. That is a 60% drop over two and a half years, quite theContinue reading “The EV depreciation problem”