Leaf ownership = better fitness?

[Truro411]

I'm only 20 days into my Leaf experience but I find something strange (but good) happening: I'm losing weight.

Full disclosure, I am actually trying to lose weight!

But, with the Leaf, I find myself parking at one of the two L2's in town and walking up to 2-2.5km to my destinations. Pretty much everywhere I need to go, I say, "I'll take the Leaf! I wonder how far a walk that is from xxx?" It's not always a possibility due to time constraints or just not close enough.

It's a great motivator though!

As an example...I am the designated driver every weekend to take myself and three people to a hockey game in town. As one of my passengers is in a wheelchair I am usually headed directly out to the car to warm it up and wait 10m or so for her and her husband to arrive at the car. This year I've committed to a 10m walk in whatever weather (-25C anyone?) to the town hall to pick up a prewarmed car and come back to pick them up. It's partially for a free charge up midwinter but also 2x brisk 10m walks to burn off the fries I inevitably consume at the game.

I'm leaning strongly towards a hitch and hitch mounted bike rack next year as well...

Has anyone else changed their parking/walking habits for the better to accommodate the EV?

 

[paulgipe]

No I haven't. How far are you from Fredricton? Quebec has qute a good DCFC network in Gaspesie.

 

[RockyNv]

The fitness car for me is my 1978 Fiat 124 Spider. Manual transmission with cable operated clutch, no power steering and only mildly power assisted brakes. Getting into the Leaf requires a few moments of adjustment to get accustomed to the light touch again.

 

[abasile]

Has anyone else changed their parking/walking habits for the better to accommodate the EV?

With our LEAF, we've done lots of walking between various destinations and the nearest L2 charging stations, sometimes more than 2km each way. That said, we are hiking enthusiasts to begin with! While driving a longer-range EV should reduce the need to do that on a regular basis, it does open up lots of trip possibilities and thus more potential destinations which may involve walks to charging (such as at national parks where one might need to walk between a campground and nearby charging stations).

A friend of ours bought a foldable bicycle to carry in their Tesla for just this reason. I don't think they've used it much, though.

Enjoy your EV and the exercise!

 

[RockyNv]

These bikes looked like a good match for the Leaf:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLsDJ1ZWxOE

I walk with a cane due to a permanent disability from a bad ladder accident so walking long distances is not much fun. Still I am almost 20 years past where they said I'd be in a wheelchair and still up and about occasionally even taking a motorcycle out for a spin too.

 

[GRA]

Has anyone else changed their parking/walking habits for the better to accommodate the EV?

I went one step further, I changed where I lived so that I can walk or bike to work and all routine errands and take mass transit for regional trips to greater radii, eliminating any need for a car at all except for road trips (which still have to be done in my ICE given the places I go and the lack of charging infrastructure). Doesn't work for everyone, but for those who can . . . I don't know that I've lost much weight, as I've always hiked/biked/backpacked/X-C skiied/climbed/swum, but it certainly keeps my muscle tone better on a day-to-day basis; my weight does increase about 5 lb. during winter as I eat more and am out and about less often. For those who normally only walk between house and garage, parking space and work/store, walking some every day can certainly lead to weight loss and better cardio health. Not counting my bike commute, I usually get at least 1/2 hour per day of walking in, just going about my routine.