Author Archives: lukefrugalev

Much ink (digital and otherwise) has been spilled over the impact of electric vehicles on the grid. While its true, EVs do consume electric power, usually from the grid, there is a lot of flexibility in when you charge your EV. In fact, if you follow our recent discussion on when exactly to charge yourContinue reading “Will EVs kill Ontario’s power grid?”

About 200 km North-East of Toronto sits Petroglyphs provincial park. Home to unique petroglyps carved into stone by first nations people about a millenia ago. The park also has many hikes through the forested areas nearby but is a lovely “half-day” excursion that can be tacked on to other trips through the region, but thereContinue reading “Petroglyphs provinical park”

North of Kingston, ON sits Murphies point provincial park. It is the only Ontario Provincial park with a mine in it that offers tours on the weekends in the summer. The season stretches into the fall, with tours winding down in September. Getting there is easy, most of it driving along Hwy 401 going northContinue reading “Murphies point provincial park”

Charging at home is incredibly convenient part of EV ownership. But what if you do not have a garage where you live? Thanks to a growing public charging network, this is largely not a problem. We discuss a few options in Toronto where I live, on how to get by without a garage when relyingContinue reading “No Garage? No Problem”

About 120 km North-West of Toronto sits Elora Gorge conservation area. During the summer, they offer tubing through the gorge, along the Grand River. What a fine way to get out of the house and enjoy nature in an active way. There is a campground at the conservation area if you prefer to stay overnight,Continue reading “Elora Gorge Tubing”

In prior posts we discussed battery requirements and charging. The larger battery, slower charging option appears entirely feasible, we might even manage to retrofit the existing Chi-Cheemaun ferry, offering the greenest way to get from Tobermory to Manitoulin Island. Lets conclude our three post series with some practical considerations and dive into the economics ofContinue reading “The Electric Chi Cheemaun, coming soon?”

As we discussed in a prior post, an electric Chi Cheemaun might need about 4 MWh of electricity per crossing. Replenishing this at either end during a 30 minute turnaround would require an 8 MW ferry charger installed at either end. With a larger battery, we can dramatically slow down our charging speed to perhapsContinue reading “Charging an electric Chi Cheemaun”

Electrifying Ferries is quite the trend in Europe. On this side of the pond, the Maid of the Mist recently joined the fray (source). Lets look at the feasibility of electrifying the Chi Cheemaun a car ferry that operates between Tobermory and Manitoulin Island. As with electric cars, electrifying ferries holds the promise of environmentalContinue reading “Electrifying the Chi Cheemaun, how big a battery is required?”

Much ink, digital and otherwise, has been spilled lamenting the state of EV charging infrastructure. While its true, as EV’s go main stream, we will need faster and better DC quick charging infrastructure, there is much more to this. Slower Level 2 (L2) AC charging can be done just about anywhere. Think of all theContinue reading “How to charge anywhere”

There is the perception out there that charging infrastructure is just not there. Horror stories abound of people arriving on a road trip at a fast charger only to find it busy or broken. The true picture is much more localized. For example, you may only care about L3 DC fast chargers near Gravenhurst OntarioContinue reading “Surveying the EV charging infrastructure”