Author Archives: lukefrugalev

Spring is in the air, the ski-hills are green, and that means its time for our bi-annual used car survey. As before, we set our price threshold at 35 000 CAD, limit of 100 km from Toronto, and we need to see at least three offerings for a car to make our list of usedContinue reading “Used car survey, Spring 2023”

Volume manufacturing of cars is a game of big numbers. Rumored development spending on the Nissan Leaf was about 6B$. Further Tesla apparently spent a whopping $90k manufacturing the first few Tesla Model 3 cars. Given all this, how do carmakers actually make money? The answer lies in a few “good-models” that can be soldContinue reading “Car program economics”

There is no denying it, Tesla has had quite the impact on the EV world. These days the Tesla Model Y outsells the Tesla Model 3, at least in North America. So I jumped at the chance to take one for a spin. Tesla’s roots as a sports-car maker are evident in the driving experience,Continue reading “Driving the Tesla Model Y”

Recently, the Ontario Energy Board announced a new ultra-low overnight rate option (source). Briefly, the new rate allows for ultra-cheap 2.5 c/kWh overnight (11 pm to 7 am), while charging substantially higher on-peak rates of 25 c/kWh (4 pm-9 pm). We find that with some adjustments, there are some savings to be had with myContinue reading “Should I opt for the new ultra-low overnight Ontario Electricity rate?”

My Buddy does a driving trip every year to visit Family in Nova Scotia, driving from Toronto along the 401, stopping overnight in Quebec City before continuing on the next day. As discussed in a prior post, long road trips like this are not ideal in EVs. But how bad would it be, lets useContinue reading “Can my Leaf make it to Nova Scotia?”

With the warming temperatures, its time to start exploring the wonderful lakes Ontario has to offer. North Bay sits between two: Lake Nipissing a shallow large lake that empties into the Georgian Bay, and Trout Lake, the headwaters of the Mattawa river. There is lots to see and do, there is some fishing in theseContinue reading “North Bay”

Lets look at a few common use scenarios for your family car, drawing from my experience lets compare commuting, errand running, regional, mid and long distance road trips between a gas car, and an EV. As we will see, the EV rules the shorter distance commuting and errand running categories, day-trips, weekend trips are veryContinue reading “EV vs Gas car”

While a charging station is your best bet, not every hotel I have stayed at has one. That leaves the EV driver dependent on outdoor plugs, which might be limited in the total amount of current they can deliver. Ill share some tips from my experiences charging my EV at hotels around Ontario. A littleContinue reading “Hotel power”

Just north of Barrie is a small ski-resort, perfect for beginners. But we still go, even with teenagers in the house, mostly its because of the sno-nuts (mini freshly made doughnuts), a fun filled attitude and a good lunch. What is not to like. Plus its only 130 km from Toronto. Why not stay overnightContinue reading “Snow Valley”

Suppose you live in a condo, and you got an EV or are considering getting one. I love charging my EV at home, and you should too. What are the options for charging? We discuss the simple (just use a wall plug), to the slightly more involved, to the silly expensive. The most sensible solutionContinue reading “EV charging for Condos”