Author Archives: lukefrugalev

Recently I went car shopping with a relative. We went to a dealership representing a major automaker that offers both gas and electric cars. Beforehand, we had consulted the website and picked out some things we liked, such as a specific color, as well as a tow hitch and some other options of interest. WhenContinue reading “Dealership experience”

Range is usually at the forefront of EV shoppers mind. Some going to such lengths as insisting that an EV must have more than 2000 km range for that once in a lifetime trip to Nova Scotia. Such extreme range claims are of course completely senseless, in particular, as you need to use the bathroomContinue reading “Bladder range”

Last year I wrote a series of articles exploring an all-electric Chi-Chemaun, a ferry that sails from Tobermory to South Baymouth on Manatoilin Island here in Ontario Canada. Briefly, while significant investments would be required, the project is entirely feasible. Further the current Chi-Chemaun ferry is getting old, so now might be a good timeContinue reading “Economics for an electric Chi-Chemaun, with the new ultra-low-overnight rate”

As discussed, one of the issues with the 2018 Nissan Leaf is lack of active battery cooling. Thus, driving more than 500 km in a day, becomes somewhat painful, as rapid charges slow to a glacial 20 kW maximum speed as you do your third rapid charge. Recently I wound up buying a portable fan,Continue reading “Active battery cooling on the Cheap”

Mitsubishi continues the evolution of the Outlander with a slightly smaller Eclipse cross. While there is ample space in the interior (my 6’4″ frame fit just fine in the back seat), the boot is slightly smaller. As with the Outlander PHEV, the battery pack is located in the boot, which includes the 12V battery. WeContinue reading “Driving the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross plug in hybrid”

The North American Charging Standard (NACS), formerly known as the Tesla plug, is a DC fast charging system. Its one of three active fast charging systems in North America at the moment, (the other two being CCS and CHADEMO). Recently, Ford, GM and Polestar decided to equip their vehicles with a NACS connector for fastContinue reading “Whats with the NACS fever?”

Recently Ontario offered electricity customers in select markets, a new ultra-low overnight electricity rate. On the upside, you pay a very low overnight rate (2.5 c/kWh), on the downside, peak rates are much higher (25 c/kWh). I decided to switch, although some of my neighbors were skeptical, mostly as well, people like to sleep duringContinue reading “How is the new ultra low overnight (ULO) rate working out for us?”

Along the Northern Shore of Lake Erie sits port Burwell. Its a dog friendly provincial park and one of the few where you can take your dog to the beach and swim with Fido if that is your leisure. Also, its home to the Ojibwa, a cold war era Submarine that saw service in theContinue reading “Port Burwell provincial park”

Car companies love making cars that sell. Somehow, large pickup trucks are firmly at the top of the best sellers list these days. Perhaps driven by our desire for an all around car that can do it all, from hailing sports gear to commuting. But as we will discuss, there are flaws in that reasoning,Continue reading “Whats with all the electric trucks?”

This is something that comes up when shopping for a car. “I need a big big big SUV that can take me and my family ski-gear and all, on a road trip to say Banff AB”. Such a requirement naturally sends one towards a large gas guzzling SUV, while there are larger EVs like FordContinue reading “In defense of the flying ski-trip”