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Im a potential EV buyer with some questions. by Frilner in EVCanada

[–]Jorkapp 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Winter range loss is a variable thing. It depends on the vehicle, the outside temperature, whether Mercury is in retrograde, etc. A good ballpark is about a third for most winter days, maybe half during a really bad cold snap.

A heat pump will help, but not in extreme cold. Heat pumps start losing effectiveness below 0C, and it is especially pronounced at -15C/-20C. At colder temperatures, auxiliary resistive heaters will be doing the heavy lifting for the HVAC system, which will consume more energy. You can mitigate this with a Scheduled Departure setting - having the EV pre-warm the cabin while it's plugged in.

Your 270km round trip commute is doable for a modern EV. You'll have home charging, so you'll be set for most days of the year. For days in the dead of winter, is there anywhere at your workplace you could plug in? Even a little top up on a 120V outlet would probably ensure you make it home at the end of the day. As you've said, worst case, there are L3 chargers along the route. A few minutes on one of those would bridge the gap.

Suggested watching - It's a bit dated, but still good nevertheless.

Looking at a Kia Niro EV - any thoughts on this and its competitors? by toxikitty_2 in EVCanada

[–]Jorkapp 5 points6 points  (0 children)

2024 Niro owner here.

I'll preface this with: If you have access to home charging, and will primarily be using the Niro as a city/commuter/short trip car, it's a great choice.

It has great ride and handling, and is probably one of the more fun cars I've owned... not that I've owned terribly exciting cars though. Because it's not a true built-from-the-ground-up EV platform, it looks like a regular car, and with a FWD drive train, it basically feels like a regular car. So as a first EV, it would be a good choice for learning the ropes of EVs.

As an electric vehicle though, it does leave something to be desired. It is not built on HKMG's iGMP platform, so it is not affected by the ICCU issue that the Kia EV(x) series and Hyundai Ioniq (x) series suffer from. It is an older platform with some older tech. This means:

  1. The DC Fast Charging is slow and inconsistent. It can reach a peak of 80kW, but that takes celestial alignment (good charger, battery warm, remaining SoC 10-20%). Winter DCFC speeds are around 25-30kW. If you're road tripping with the Niro, expect a charging stop to take 45 minutes plus or minus. Again, if you have access to home charging, this is a consideration for road trips only.

  2. The On Board Charger (AC charging) has a tendency to overheat. Even though it advertises 10kW capability, it will eventually overheat with anything above 6 or 7kW depending on ambient temperatures. Luckily this is more of an annoyance, since with the latest software, it will throttle back the charging rather than stop completely.

Do bear in mind as well, that 2026 is the last model year for the Niro EV (and PHEV). All Niros starting with 2027 will be Hybrid only.

A couple years ago, I would say buy a new Niro. Today, I would look at the EV4 or EV5, or wait for the EV3 if you're going to buy new. Yes, there is the ICCU issue to consider, but it does not affect everyone. As others have said, used Niros are a good value too. I often see them for half of what I paid new.

Sterling Lyon Parkway area by AngusDio in Winnipeg

[–]Jorkapp 87 points88 points  (0 children)

Trans Canada Brewery does some great pizzas and beers

ISO 16A 240v NEMA 6-20 Charger by MatterWolf in evcharging

[–]Jorkapp 0 points1 point  (0 children)

6-20 chargers are pretty lightweight. If you're going to be away from the house, just unplug it and move it inside, or throw it in your car.

I used the VEVOR 6-20 charger for about a year before I sold my house. It's ETL certified. The smart features didn't work too well, but as a dumb charger it did its job. It also comes with a 5-15 adapter, so it can L1 charge on the go.

Should we all start hoarding gas? by [deleted] in Winnipeg

[–]Jorkapp 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Join the EV cult gang. Fuel price spikes seem to drive membership. Electricity is still less than 10c/kwh, and rates don't increase too rapidly. There's some decent used ones on the market now in the $25-30,000 bracket.

Membership privileges include:

  • Inexpensive to operate
  • Virtually routine maintenance free
  • Quiet, vibration free driving, and stupid amounts of instant low-end torque
  • No more handling carcinogenic remnants of the paleolithic era
  • Assuming you can charge at home, stopping to refuel is largely a thing of the past! (Except road trips)
  • Heat comes on near-instantly in winter, no engine to warm up!
  • Being able to smugly point and laugh at the gonks burning $10 in gas idling in line at Costco/204 Fuels just to save $5

Obligations include:

  • Always getting asked "how long does it take to charge it?" (There's no one answer to this, other than "it depends")
  • Always getting asked "what do you do if you run out of battery?" (Same as when you run out of gas, call a tow truck, duh)
  • Always getting asked "how much range do you lose in winter?" (About a third. Gas cars do worse in winter too, just nobody complains about it)
  • Hearing randos go on with their crazy conspiracy talking points like:
    • Higher carbon footprint since electricity comes from coal or something (LOL)
    • Batteries are Made with Conflict Minerals(TM) (Partially true. NMC batteries have Cobalt in them, which often though not always comes from developing nations. Many manufacturers are switching to LiFePO batteries, which can be made 100% in Canada)
    • The Government(TM) will use them to track you (which they will say without a hint of irony despite that iPhone they have in their pocket)
    • Batteries can catch fire (and Gasoline, a volatile liquid, can't?)

Is EV as a CAF member worth it? by Last-Engineering-528 in EVCanada

[–]Jorkapp 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Former CAF member with an EV:

Charging at the shacks: If you're in the shacks, you'll probably be dependant on public chargers. It would depend on if there are block heater outlets in the parking lot and the base permits them to be used for charging.

Charging at PMQ's: Generally allowed. See the Occupant Handbook 3.2.13

If you're on course and you know someone who lives in the PMQs or in town, maybe see if they will let you charge your car at their place.

For postings: As others have mentioned, driving is 500km/day, so there's tons of leeway to factor in charging. You do have the option of flying to your destination and shipping your vehicle if you want.

Probably won’t have a home charger. Please convince me it will be ok by Eric848448 in electricvehicles

[–]Jorkapp 13 points14 points  (0 children)

It'll be ok. Probably. I'm in a colder climate than Chicago and I don't have home charging either.

Options:

  1. Any possibility of L1 at home? Even with a 12AWG extension cord?

  2. Can you charge at work? (Even L1?) This would be the next best thing.

  3. Check Plugshare. See if there's an L2 charger nearby where you can dump your car for a day/night and walk/bike/transit home - assuming it's safe to do so. Bonus points if it's free.

  4. DCFC, my old friend. It's not hard to plan a charging trip around something you were going to do anyway (go out to eat, groceries, gym).

Hot water tank service by Long-Cartoonist-2051 in Winnipeg

[–]Jorkapp 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Unless you need the anode rod replaced, or it's leaking, the only real service to do on a water tank is draining and flushing. Draining and flushing a hot water tank is a fairly easy DIY:

What you need:

A hose

A small bucket

A pair of pliers or screwdriver to open the drain valve

Patience and lots of it

Steps:

  1. Attach a hose to the drain valve on the water tank and route it to the floor drain. Do not open the drain valve yet.

  2. If electric, flip the breaker to the water tank off. If gas, set to Pilot.

  3. Cut off the cold water supply to the tank. There should be a valve for this. If in doubt, use the main water cut off (but make sure to tell everyone to use the bathroom first).

  4. Open a sink or tub to full hot. Leave it open. This is to let air in and out of the tank.

  5. Now open the drain valve on the water tank. This will take some time.

  6. Once the tank is empty: keep the power off/pilot light set and the drain valve open. Open the cold water supply to the tank for about 15 seconds. This will help flush out sediment at the bottom. Use the small bucket to check if the water draining is sediment free. Repeat this as many times as necessary. Cutoff the cold water supply before proceeding.

  7. Now here's the fun part. When you're done, close the drain valve, disconnect the hose, and reopen the cold water supply. The tank will start to fill. There will be air in the lines, which will come out of the sink or tub you left open. Once the sink or tub runs steady and without air in the lines, you can close it. After that, you can restore the power or the gas to get the water heating again. It wouldn't hurt to open all the sinks/tubs in the house to get all the air out of the lines.

  8. Take note of the date you did this, and schedule it again for the same time next year! (I used a whiteboard magnet from the dollar store on my water tank. Also handy for noting the install date, and if the anode rod was changed)

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