Author Archives: lukefrugalev

Avid readers of this blog will note the importance of DC fast charging on long distance EV road-trips. As of 2022, very few new EV models offer Chademo connectors for DC fast charging, even Nissan appears to be switching to CCS for their fast charging connector on the upcoming Nissan Aryia. This might frighten someContinue reading “Is Chademo a dying standard?”

At the tip of the Bruce peninsula sits Tobermory. Ever wanted to walk the deck of a 100 + year old boat? Explore the steam engine’s of the day? Then Tobermory is your chance. There is lots to do and see, with charging in both Orangeville and Owen Sound, the 300 km route is noContinue reading “Tobermory”

Another in our series of regional hops. I recently had to make a last minute trip to Hamilton for work. Round-trip, its about 160 km from Toronto, the 2018 Nissan Leaf made it there and back with about 10% to spare. The Leaf only consumed $3.50 worth of electricity on this trip, hence I decidedContinue reading “Toronto-Hamilton”

Much has been written about the EV incentive program in latter years. Briefly, many jurisdictions offer EV subsidies lowering the cost of a new (or in some cases used) EV’s. Here in Canada, Quebec (which has them) has four times the EV sales ratio vs Ontario (which does not have them). These incentives do nudgeContinue reading “Is the EV Incentive program a good use of public funds?”

Summer in the city is usually hot and steamy, so why not hit the beach and enjoy some of (Ontario’s) west coast magic. Sauble beach sits about 230 km North-West of Toronto, an easy drive for even a first generation Nissan Leaf. Ive done this trip many times in both the 2015 and the 2018Continue reading “Sauble Beach”

Most EV’s present the driver with information on how much charge is left in the battery, usually in the form of a percentage. But it turns out, the bar is not necessarily accurate as the car vendor is trying to nudge you into making sensible charging choices, to maximize battery life. While this post willContinue reading “Decoding the state of charge”

Blue mountain is about 180 km North of Toronto and offers excellent ski and snowboard adventures. Barrie offers a convenient charging stop, for both the crew and the Leaf. Even with a roof-box or a ski-rack the 2018 Nissan Leaf has enough range to reach the Blue mountains, especially if you slow down a little.Continue reading “Blue Mountain Ski Trip”

While Mount Tremblant offers fantastic skiing, they are a little far from my corner of Toronto for a day trip. Never fear, Dagmar ski resort on Lakeridge road near Uxbridge offers great beginner skiing, good food and you can get there in an hour or so. A fine way to convert an otherwise boring SundayContinue reading “Dagmar Ski Trip”

Recently reports of Tesla’s loosing cabin heat in “extreme cold” surfaced. Is this more of a Tesla update thing gone wrong, or is there something more sinister going on here? Not to worry, it seems to be an issue with mostly newer Tesla Model 3/Y’s equipped with a cabin heat-pump following a December software update.Continue reading “Driving an EV in the cold”

Last quarter, we discussed EV charging in general terms. Now lets dive deeper and look at how we can use Plugshare to find charging stations that work with my EV. We will cover some of the more common brands from my used EV survey, along with Tesla (excluding the roadster with its custom connector). WeContinue reading “Charging 201: Using Plugshare”