When the Lights Go Out for Two Weeks: Long-Duration Storage and the Case for Distributed Resilience in Atlantic Canada
When Fiona hit Atlantic Canada in 2022, some communities waited more than two weeks for power. A four-hour battery can't answer a fourteen-day outage. Here's how long-duration storage, distributed siting, and residential solar-plus-battery systems are rewriting what resilience means — right down to keeping a CPAP running when the grid goes dark.
When Infrastructure Serves Communities Instead of Extracting From Them
At an EV forum in 2024, a man named Ron stood up. He lived in Nelson House, 100 km north of Thompson, Manitoba. He'd just learned about EVs and was convinced. He wanted to buy one and drive it home. He couldn't. There were no chargers on the route.
The Range Revolution: Why DC Fast Charging Is Becoming Optional
Over the winter, the DC fast chargers near my highway exit were pulled out. The operator couldn't justify the costs. Meanwhile, 200 meters away, free Level 2 chargers at a bakery are always busy. It's the internet café problem. The bridge infrastructure we needed is becoming the infrastructure we're abandoning.
EV drivers don't pay for roads? Not true. Property taxes fund local roads, federal infrastructure transfers have nothing to do with fuel tax, and a single loaded semi does more pavement damage than thousands of passenger cars. Jose Luis Gutierrez breaks down the real numbers.
Your EV charger knows your battery state, location history, payment data, and desperation level. Manitoba just banned personalized algorithmic pricing. But one model made it impossible from day one: charge nothing, know nothing, extract nothing. Free turns out to be the ultimate transparency.
The Amenity Arms Race: What Hotel Wi-Fi Teaches Us About EV Charging
Four motels at a rest stop. Two charge for EV charging. One offers it free. What happens next is predictable — we've seen this movie with Wi-Fi, breakfast, and parking. The properties that moved first won. The ones that waited played catch-up.
The CFR’s Forgotten Obligation: Where Is Carbon Credit Revenue Going?
Where is CFR carbon credit revenue actually going? Charging network operators must reinvest proceeds into EV infrastructure, but industry insiders suggest many aren't meeting their obligations under Canadian climate regulations.
Bob Purcell Interview Outtakes: EV Infrastructure Deep Dive
The extended Bob Purcell interview: lessons from the EV1, Canada's EV opportunity, battery storage as a grid asset, and advice for infrastructure investors.
