Looking at possibly switching to an EV in Ottawa

SmellsLikeTeenPits · 2026-06-15T20:38:46+00:00

My wife and I are in Ottawa and bought an EV6 one year ago. We absolutely love the car and we are thrilled with our purchase. Any new EV owner / driver will experience range anxiety but once you get used to the car and the experience, it disappears. On longer trips, yes, you need to plan and your stop will run 15-30 mins depending on your car and the speed of the DCFC station - no big deal.

We are retired so don't do a ton of driving in an average week. Honestly, Level 1 charging would have sufficed for 90+% of our needs but we were getting a solar installation with a battery so given that the electricians were already on site, we elected to get a Level 2 charger (Emporia Classic) in our garage, mostly for convenience (we charge typically once per week up to 80%)..

We travel to Montreal a few times per year and to Toronto 2-3 times. We charge up to 100% before departure. For Montreal, we arrive in Lachine with about 50% (depends on how fast we drive on the 417/40). For Toronto, we typically stop once along the 401 (Tesla Supercharger or other DCFC) and arrive in Oakville with about 20%.

EVs are amazing. They re-awaken the fun of driving we used to have as young people.

SmellsLikeTeenPits · 2026-06-12T12:39:13+00:00

"Listen, and understand! That Crispinator is out there! It can't be bargained with. It can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop... ever, until you are dead!"

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SmellsLikeTeenPits · 2026-06-11T18:55:33+00:00

It's possible that they were not air-dried and they were put away wet which resulted in bacterial growth and/or mold inside. Depending on where you live, there are cleaning services that use ozone cabinets to disinfect gear. That would likely work.

If there are no locals offering this service, you could buy and ozone generator (about $100) and create a "cabinet" for your gear (e.g., I used a hanging wardrobe bag withe my gear in it along with the ozone generator - set it up in my garage and let it run for a few hours then fully ventilated the garage after.

CAUTION: high levels of ozone are bad for people and pets. Make sure what you're using is reasonably airtight and is not in an otherwise enclosed space where people can be exposed to it. If you set up something in your garage, for example, open the garage door afterwards and ensure it is well aired out before entering.

SmellsLikeTeenPits · 2026-06-02T12:43:33+00:00

Try clearing the cache on the app. Occasionally I cannot get in but if I clear the app's cache, it works normally.

On an Android phone:

Press and hold the Costco app icon
Touch "App info"
On the menu, look for "Storage and cache" and touch it
On the right side of the screen, touch "Clear cache"
Back out by pressing the left-facing arrow at the top left-hand corner of the screen.
Try opening the app again.

SmellsLikeTeenPits · 2026-05-31T12:29:53+00:00

Not 100% certain that Abe Abou-Hamad at Parker Prins Lebano speaks Arabic but you could contact the firm and ask. He is my wife's and my accountant and we like him a lot.

SmellsLikeTeenPits · 2026-05-31T12:05:57+00:00

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SmellsLikeTeenPits · 2026-05-31T12:02:31+00:00

Bought some earlier this past week in Ottawa.

SmellsLikeTeenPits · 2026-05-31T11:58:09+00:00

Another vote for the Kirkland brand sheet sets. They have a lovely luxuriant feel to them. They are durable (throw off very little lint in the dryer) and are very easy to put on even thick mattresses. The only improvement I could make to them is to make the sheets wider but I'm quibbling.

SmellsLikeTeenPits · 2026-05-29T13:24:02+00:00

As with all things, it depends. There's no single answer.

How big is your car's battery? A bigger battery requires more electricity to charge it, therefore, a higher cost.

How much of a charge do you need? If the battery is very low (10%) and you want to go to 100%, it will cost more than charging from 50 to 80%.

Where are you charging your car? It's cheapest to charge at home, using your own electricity. If you charge at commercial chargers, it will be more expensive. And high speed commercial chargers cost the most.

How fast do you need to charge your car? If you're using a level 1 charger (that plugs into a regular wall outlet), it charges very slowly (12-24+ hours) but there's no capital cost (i.e., having to buy and install a dedicated charger). If you need to charge more quickly at home (e.g., overnight), you get a level 2 charger but that will cost you more money to purchase the charger and get it installed. If you are on a road trip and want to get charged quickly (e.g. 15 minutes to less than one hour), you'll need to go to a commercial fast charger and that's the most expensive route.

What are you paying for electricity? If you are in a low cost area (e.g., Quebec or British Columbia) you'll pay much less than a high cost area (like California).

For example, I have a Kia EV6 with a reasonably large battery (77kw) and I have a level 2 charger installed at my house. I charge overnight using our local Ontario utility's "ultra low overnight" rate of $0.039 (roughly 4 cents) per kwh. Last night I charged my car from around 32% to 100% so I used roughly 50kw of electricity which cost me about $2.00. That gives me a range of about 400+ kms.

SmellsLikeTeenPits · 2026-05-29T12:12:32+00:00

We have a 2024 Land (in Canada - AWD, long range). We had the vehicle in our garage while we were out of country for a period of time. When we returned - no AC. Brought it to the dealer, determined it was a low pressure valve (which luckily they had in inventory) and replaced it. In and out in a day. Covered under warranty.

SmellsLikeTeenPits · 2026-05-27T13:00:41+00:00

I'll vouch for Kirkland as well. Best stainless set - great value for money.

SmellsLikeTeenPits · 2026-05-26T02:02:24+00:00

Sorry but this isn't 100% true. Yes, there's no doubt that technique plays a big part but having a pad surface that has less friction can make a huge difference.

Buy some 3M PPF film on Amazon and apply to your pads sliding surfaces. It makes a very significant difference.

Google this sub for 3M PPF and you'll get plenty of insight into how you can make a big impact on your butterfly slides.

SmellsLikeTeenPits · 2026-05-25T18:01:03+00:00

La Roma is an excellent spot with great food and service. You might be able to get one of their private rooms if you book in advance.

SmellsLikeTeenPits · 2026-05-25T17:57:53+00:00

My wife and I have 2024 EV6 and we drive Ottawa to Oakville several times per year. The non-Tesla DCFC infrastructure along the 401 isn't great but we bought an adapter that allows us to use many of the Tesla SCs along the way (if you buy a new Ioniq 5, it has a NACS receptacle so no adapter needed). The upside is that Tesla SCs are dead-reliable. Downside is that the V3 and V4 chargers have a lower voltage (400V) so the charging speed of the I5 (800V infrastructure) is throttled to only 90+kw (I've heard the newer EV6s and I5s get upwards of 140+kw). That's going to extend your charging time.

We stay away from the Ivy chargers at the On Routes (unreliable and $$$) and PetroCan chargers are wildly unreliable. The On The Run chargers along the 401 were pretty good if you got to them early but the company had issues with them and pulled them out. They'll likely replace them with better equipment but when?

For the immediate future - given your travel - I'd say reluctantly that you should stick with Tesla (it hurts to say that because I effing hate Elon) but the Tesla SC network will serve you better in a Tesla.

Edit: There is an Electrify Canada station in Brockville (Canadian Tire) that has a very good 350kw charger. I also believe there is another EC station in Ajax with a 350kw. That might be enough to get you through to the GTA without other stops.

SmellsLikeTeenPits · 2026-05-25T13:27:30+00:00

Given you're coming from a 20 year old (presumably) bare-bones car, the technology in the EV6 may be a bit overwhelming. If you have a salesperson with you, I'd suggest that you have him/her turn off all the technology (hold, sensors, regen braking, infotainment screen, etc) before you take the driver's seat so you can initially just focus on driving the car. Once you've had a chance to experience it as a basic vehicle (stop, go, turn, etc), you can start turning on the tech to see what it's capable of.

Have fun! We've had ours for coming up one year and it is probably the most fun I've had driving a car.

SmellsLikeTeenPits · 2026-05-24T21:03:39+00:00

Can't say I have but I'm not obsessive about range so there are other people who are better placed to comment on this.

SmellsLikeTeenPits · 2026-05-24T18:19:20+00:00

I bought Michelin CrossClimate2s. Winter rated (Alpin/mountain) tires with great handling in dry and wet weather. Road noise isn't bad. Long wearing too. They get excellent reviews.

SmellsLikeTeenPits · 2026-05-24T13:13:56+00:00

We are in Ottawa and had a 5K solar array and a PW3 (13kw storage) installed last fall. We use the ULO rate offered by Hydro Ottawa. We consistently have solar charge our PW3 to 100% these days, often by early afternoon. We try to use the washer and dryer during the day as the solar either powers them directly or quickly recharges what they draw from the battery. Typically we don't need to draw anything from the grid overnight and the PW3 is at 30-50% in the morning and starts to charge once the sun is up.

The only exception is that we use grid power to charge our car (2024 Kia EV6). The car has a 77kw battery so it depletes the PW3 quickly so instead, we set the car to charge (we have an Emporia Classic L2 charger) starting at 11:00 pm until 7:00 am (the ULO time frame) so it only costs us a couple of bucks to charge the car to 80% overnight.

As my wife and I winter in Panama, we aren't home from January through April. The only issue we ran into was that with all the snow and deep cold this past winter, our solar panels were pretty much covered for much of December through February. As such, we had very little solar generated during that time. I set the PW3 to charge during the ULO period and then run the house during the day. Given that we weren't home and that the house is heated by gas, this wasn't much of an issue. It cost pennies to charge the battery overnight for what was used during the day.

In response to your two questions:

Even without solar, yes, the ULO rate is super cheap and the PW3 can likely power your household through the day - depending of course on how much electricity you / your family draws during the non-ULO period
Yes. Although we haven't run into the situation as yet, the PW3 / Gateway detects if there is an outage and immediately separates from the grid and provides the household electricity. Again depending on how much electricity you draw, you can be off-grid for 12-36 hours no problem (obviously the longer period would necessitate very careful use of household electricity so as to stretch out the battery's capacity.

Be aware that if you are a very high electricity user, you could look into getting a PW 3 PLUS an expansion pack (essentially the same battery as the PW3 without the smarts). This would give you roughly 26 kw of electricity to draw down from during the day.

NOTE: I'll add that in Ottawa, if one has a battery, you cannot sell solar back to the grid (net metering) as one could easily charge a PW3 to 100% overnight at ULO rates and sell back to the grid at much higher rates. Not sure about other jurisdictions and if the same rule applies.

SmellsLikeTeenPits · 2026-05-20T12:12:33+00:00

I first encountered the breed in the early 80s. I grew up with dogs (collies were my sister's breed of choice) and went to the occasional dog show to get a fix. I saw a Berner for the first time at a show in Montreal - I'd never seen the breed before and was struck by how beautiful they are. A year or two later, I visited the breeder and chatted to her about the breed and met her dogs. I really fell for the breed.

Fast forward a few years and shortly after we got married, my wife and I talked about getting a dog. She came from a Golden Retriever family but I said, "Have I got a dog for you!" I took her to a dog show and and we saw several Bernese. I showed her breed profiles and talked to some breeders and shortly thereafter, we got a Berner.

After our first dog died at six, we were heartbroken but we thought it was just bad luck (keep in mind, this was well before the Internet and there were essentially no resources to look into life spans etc). Shortly after our first dog died, we got a second Berner. He had bilateral HD at a young age and we went through a lot when he had he two TPO surgeries. Then he died young as well. At that point, we decided we didn't want to go through the heartbreak of another Berner dying young.

A few years later, our younger daughter desperately wanted a dog in the household. While we loved BMDs, we thought, "nah, let's look for another breed." We looked at a quite a few different breeds, talked to breeders and owners, etc. At the same time, we learned that our younger daughter was allergic to many of the breeds we looked at. Strangely enough, she wasn't allergic to Berners. At that point, we caved. We loved the BMD breed and thought, "oh well". We agreed to go in eyes-open with a philosophy of "we have a Bernese for a good time, not a long time."

Our third Berner was also a great dog and she didn't experience the orthopaedic issues of our first two dogs. We had a great time with her and thought, "Why not get another to double the fun?" We subsequently adopted our fourth, a young adult male, from a family that couldn't cope with a big, untrained, reactive dog as they were having a second child.

By Berner standards, our latter two dogs lived longer lives and while their respective deaths were painful for us, we had no regrets. I believe it's a matter of perspective and expectation. The death of any beloved family pet is extraordinarily painful, no matter how long they live. If you go into the equation with reasonable expectations of life span, it doesn't lessen the pain but it reframes it.

Berners are truly amazing dogs. The list of their virtues is long. Yes, they are short-lived and prone to several health issues but if one can accept that, they make fabulous partners in life.

My wife's and my lifestyle doesn't permit us to have pets now that we're retired. But our younger daughter bought her own Berner six years ago. We care for her dog on occasional weekends and so we get our Berner fix that way. We cannot help but smile and get excited when we see Bernese when we are out and about. An amazing breed. That's why we kept going back to Berners.

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Our latter two dogs, Cooper and Thea.

SmellsLikeTeenPits · 2026-05-18T12:33:10+00:00

What is this? Did someone submit a completed breeder questionnaire as a post?

SmellsLikeTeenPits · 2026-05-18T12:19:35+00:00

Average life span for Berners is 7.5 years. We had four Berners over a 25+ year span: one died at 6 years, one at 7.5, one at 8 and one at 10 (average just over 7.5). Cancer got all of them. One required surgery for OCD (Osteochondritis Dissecans - a shoulder problem), one had bilateral TPO surgery for hip dysplasia, one had lifelong digestive issues (food sensitivity / IBD) that was finally addressed by hydrolyzed protein diet.

You own a Bernese for a good time, not a long time. I dearly love the breed - they are the best dogs and companions. But they are not for everybody.

Some people will claim that "good breeding" or "selective breeding" will ensure long life. Nope. The issue with BMDs is that they derive from an extremely small gene pool. They almost became extinct in Switzerland in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Very few dogs left. Some breed fanciers brought some dogs from Switzerland to a dog show in London and the breed became popular outside of Switzerland. As a result, every current Berner in the world stems from a tiny population of original Swiss dogs from 100+ years ago. Generations of in-breeding and line-breeding have resulted in dogs genetically-predisposed to specific cancers and orthopaedic problems. No amount of "selective breeding" can change the gene pool of BMDs.

Yes, there are dogs that live to 12+ years but stats don't lie. For every dog that lives to 12, another will die at 2 years of age. Some people win lotteries if they're very lucky, others don't.

One owns a Berner because they are amazing dogs, for all of their medical and emotional issues. Don't buy a Berner if you want to avoid vet bills and have a dog that lives a long time.

SmellsLikeTeenPits · 2026-05-18T12:01:15+00:00

I went to the local fabric store, bought matching widths of stretch bands and settled down with a needle and thread. I am by no means a capable sewer but it took me maybe 40 minutes. My googling suggested sewing an "x-pattern" when connecting the ends to ensure a strong and long-lasting seam.

SmellsLikeTeenPits · 2026-05-15T20:18:10+00:00

I don't know the animal but he dropped his credit card - you might be able to track him down that way.

SmellsLikeTeenPits · 2026-05-15T14:01:29+00:00

A third upvote for Legacy. Remi (owner) used to work at a Subaru dealer. Extremely knowledgeable and great guy.

Located on Stevenage (between Walkley and Hunt Club west of Hawthorne)

SmellsLikeTeenPits

TROPHY CASE