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$72,000 small SUV (with moderate range), $1500 push lawn mower, $2500 plastic snow blower, $400 weed eater, $700 chainsaw and a $5000 electric generator and you are ready to be battery powered self sufficient in the GTA. Hopefully you don't wreck any of those batteries because they cost 25K for the SUV and even $350 for the chainsaw. None of those items would suffice my situation. 35 minutes out of the city with a couple acres to maintain. I'll stick with my Sierra (cheaper than 72K new) , Sthil (gas), Toro (gas), Ariens and Generac (propane) for as long as possible. A much more economical option and I don't think I represent a small minority of home owners. There is a time and place for battery powered everything... but it isn't for everyone. That's the point.

I know im long long longggg overdue for a report, but planning a wedding, renovating a house, work and of course fishing get in the way. Welcome to the thread where you can complain about the ice conditions on your local water hole. This fish may be one of only a handful of laketrout caught through a hole in the ice on the great lakes this year. You would think -31 degree temperatures would freeze water, instead we managed to lose ice this past weekend due to the intense wind, breaking up about 300 yards of ice, while also flooding the ice that I was fishing on with 6+inches of water. All i can say is, thank god for my (now defunct) Kast steelhead gloves that allowed for me to pull my tent's pegs out of the ice while they were under 4 inches of water in -22 with dry warm hands. The walk home through that knee deep snow and water was absolute hell, the slush instantly freezing to the bottom of my sled making a 300 meter walk back to the truck taking over half an hour. I actually started laughing maniacly at one point while trying to pack up my already busted up tent, the broken pole within managed to twist itself inside of another set of poles making it effectively impossible to fold away entirely without entirely re-deploying the tent, which was now impossible due to the 60kmh winds and water on the ice. I gave up, folded it best as i could into a pile on the sled and strapped it down. I found ice that ranged in depth from 8 inches to 2 50 meters apart from one spot to the next...at this rate we will be boating in no time.

"but extremes like what they are doing in California for example seem ridiculous" I was in LA in the late '80's on a business trip. During the week I was there, there was a temperature inversion trapping all the smog in the LA basin. This was before the stricter emissions regulations had kicked in. I was hacking up brown crud for the next week after...and I was a smoker then, so my lungs were already "broken in". The air there was literally killing 1000's of people a year...they had to do something. Yes..even small steps help. Countries like China are still building coal-fired generating plants daily, but does that mean we just throw our hands up in the air ? To me, that's the same mentality as...I'll just throw that Tim's cup out the window, because the roadside is already full of trash. It's apparent that we can't just continue on the path we're on and ignore the science. At some point, we have to do something. Do we just keep kicking the can down the road, or start to do at least something. I've got four grandkids...do I just toss the problem in their lap ?

You’re fighting a losing battle if you are still needing to convince folks that 1. Climate change is real And 2. That it’s human caused despite mounds of irrefutable science, even the oil companies have finally admitted that it’s the real deal. Alas we are in the age of “well I know better” one thing is certain, change is hard for people.

Yes, some of the stuff in lithium batteries is toxic...but all the components are 100% recyclable. So long as we don't throw them in to landfills it's all good. Just like lead acid batteries, I assume there will be some financial incentive to trade them in, rather than just throw them in the dump. Keep in mind, that with our reliance on oil that we are dependent on a relatively small number of non-local producers (Alberta, Middle East, Russia, etc). The suppliers influence the price on the supply side through organizations like OPEC (I never understood how that is even legal). With electrification, we can produce energy locally (nuclear, hydro, solar) so we're not hostage to the whim of some Sheiks...blue eyed or not. In fact, you can make your own electricity and not be reliant on anyone...I dont think you can make your own gasoline. Electrical production fosters a lot more competitive market as it can be created in a number of ways on a macro and micro level. At this point, I think the debate is over...whether you like it not...in 30 years ICEs will be niche products limited to few small market segments.

3 years late