Author Archives: lukefrugalev

I now have gotten a few electricity bills after completing all the permitting required to export my solar energy to the grid. With that, its as good of a time as any to reflect. One question that keeps bothering me is the whole net thing. Is it net energy or net money? While most ofContinue reading “What is the net in net metering?”

Recently, a youtouber did a 500 km test-run with a Leaf similar to my 2018 Nissan Leaf in 7 hours and 45 minutes (source). Thats quite different from my 10 hrs and 30 minutes over the 570 km or so from Toronto to Tremblant. Lets explore why, some of the differences are in the cargoContinue reading “Am I doing the Tremblant run all wrong?”

There is no way around this, from the perspective of the car buyer, looking for an inexpensive EV, Canadian EV policy is a mess. The Chinese are tariffed out at 100%, the federal incentive program crashed earlier this year and there is a 25% tariff on non-CUMSA compliant cars (pronounced Tesla EVs). All this meansContinue reading “The Canadian EV policy mess”

As we get into the dog-days of summer, my thoughts turn to hot reads to go with the hot sultry days of late summer. On that front, Termination Shock by Neil Stephenson delivers in spades. It is an exciting read rich in conspiracies and thrilling tales. The book is set in the near future, whereContinue reading “Book review: Termination Shock by Neil Stephenson”

At first, nuclear waste seems quite different from CO2. However, oddly enough they share that one thing that makes them quite the headache to deal with. Namely, long half lifes. CO2 that we pump out today will linger in the atmosphere for centuries, the CO2 half life is actually about 120 years (source). Why thatsContinue reading “How is CO2 like nuclear waste?”

Now that my rooftop solar is up and running, we have some data to analyze. One question, surrounds the environmental benefits, more specifically, how much carbon dixoide emissions have been avoided with the solar project. For that, we need two numbers, the amount of electricity produced (in kWh), and the carbon intensity of the gridContinue reading “Can rooftop solar work as a carbon sink?”

Concerns over battery degradation are very prominent in the discussion these days. Even to a point where it gets blamed for all sorts of things, and people avoid buying used EVs because of these concerns. With that, why don’t we take a look at my 7 year old 2018 Nissan Leaf and see what batteryContinue reading “A 7 year old LEAF?”

One of the main arguments for putting a whopping 100% tariff on Chinese EVs was to protect Canadian auto-jobs. The reality is more complex, as relatively few auto-sector jobs are found in car manufacturing, with the vast majority working away on aftermarket service and dealership networks. According to the Canadian government (source), the auto-industry employsContinue reading “What auto-job?”

Lately, while travelling, I bumped into a fellow EV driver queuing at a EV fast charger. This was on a Sunday, and our friendly EV driver was charging up for the week. I did ask, if they had the ability to charge at home, “but I get free charging at this fast charger” came backContinue reading “The flawed gas station mentality”

Nissan is coming out with a new revision of the Nissan LEAF. Few if any, brands have such a long history in electric vehicles. I owned both a 2015, and now a 2018 Nissan Leaf. Overall, they have been very reliable, surprisingly roomy interior wise, great operating economics, but far from a tech leader. ShouldContinue reading “A New LEAF?”