Changes in shopping patterns since purchase

[Orchard]

I was wondering if leaf drivers shopping patterns have changed since purchasing/leasing a Leaf. More specifically the distance one travels to the store. Where I am going with this is, if electric cars with 100 mile ranges replace the family car (mostly), would this be the demise of the big box stores outside of town? People working closer to home?

 

[Nubo]

Maybe this is more of a phenomenon for people in rural areas or small towns. We don't have to go more than 20-30 miles to do all of our shopping.

 

[MaxPower]

I already was trying to minimize driving distances before buying the Leaf. I live in a large city (SF Bay Area) so there are lots of big box stores and malls peppered across the area. With the Leaf, driving distances have been more noticeable on the days that I go on impulse trips back and forth across town - I can quickly rack up 50-60 miles. I also haven't been doing day trips to the extended area around the bay as often as I did when gas was 99 cents a gallon. I'll certainly do more of this if some QC infrastructure is added along highway 1 and 101.

When the public EVSE infrastructure goes to a pay model I will be charging away from home a lot less, since they are 6-10 times more expensive than the 9 cents/kWh I pay at home. This should help reduce congestion at the EVSEs and make them more available to travellers going on extended trips.

 

[garymelora]

When the public EVSE infrastructure goes to a pay model I will be charging away from home a lot less, since they are 6-10 times more expensive

You're not kidding. Some chargers in my area cost $3.50 an hour, which works out to about 15 MPG equivalent. I could just get a Hummer.

As far as the topic of this thread goes, I have to admit that I take more frequent, unplanned trips since I got my Leaf because I think of the miles as practically free.

 

[cra]

I think they would do wise to phase in payment for charging slowly. If they don't they will scare away potential users. I doubt it will be possible to make money on charging stations until there is enough EVs out there that the ones that need the occational charge away from home cover the costs.

I have been driving an EV for seven years now, and do most of my charging at home. I only charge when away because it's free, but occasionally I have to charge. If charging was as expensive as fossil fuel, I'd charge at home only, except from those few occasions (two so far) where I really need (fast) charging.

That said, I suppose we should all use paid charging occasionally to help the builders, since if we don't pay they won't build, and if they won't build we can't charge.

 

[EatsShootsandLeafs]

Hasn't changed it at all. If the car required a change in habits I would not have bought it.

I think in the 2400 miles I've put on it there has been just one occasion when its charge was so low I had to use my ICE car, and that for a pretty short trip so didn't bother me. If I need to go far, I'll jump in the gas guzzler, though.

 

[SmilingWhenSailing]

Yes, there definitely is a change. Now I prefer to shop at places where there are free charging stations. Just out of principle. The "free" charge is usually only a few cents worth of electricity, but some day the few kWh might be what I need to get home and then it is nice if more shops provide charging possibilities. Also, as an example, before the Leaf I virtually never went to the city centre by car, since parking fees are enormous. Now with the Leaf, parking and even charging there is free. I have been there a lot more often lately. During the 7 months or so we own the Leaf probably more often than during the previous 7 years I have been living here.

 

[Metalman]

I doubt it would translate on a large scale to electric cars, but this is exactly why towns that are bike and pedestrian friendly thrive. You ride bike and save money then spend it at the local places you can easily reach.

 

[TomT]

No change whatsoever for us... Very few of our shopping trips are more than 9 miles from home anyway, so we are pretty much doing what we have always done in that regard.

 

[redLEAF]

+1 -- if anything we take MORE local trips on the weekends to take as much advantage while using our LEAF and using zero gas. Now if we could also add in the longer stuff we would but there simply isn't the charging infrastructure (here in the Midwest) to do that yet but definitely have not altered our shopping but then again most things are relatively close by ... can't seem to recall when I lived simply too far away from somewhere we needed to go to frequently

 

[RegGuheert]

Maybe this is more of a phenomenon for people in rural areas or small towns. We don't have to go more than 20-30 miles to do all of our shopping.

I suppose that could depend on the area. We live in a rural area and there are lots of stores of many different types within a 15-mile radius. (Three Walmarts, two Targets, two Lowes, two Home Depots, a Costco and probably 25 other grocery stores.)

I do think our habits have changed since we got the LEAF. We now will sometimes make a trip when in the past we would have avoided the trip to save fuel. In other words, I think we make more trips now that we have the LEAF.

 

[mwalsh]

+1 -- if anything we take MORE local trips on the weekends to take as much advantage while using our LEAF and using zero gas.

Me too. I used to plan round-robin trips in my ICE car, to be more efficient. But I've gotten quite lazy about that in the LEAF. I even drive to the mailbox now rather than walking, and have an expanding waistline as the proof of my new-found laziness! :lol:

 

[HairyCairy]

With my family we have inceased our driving since we Leafed.
We used to be a family that did all of it's shopping on Amazon and avoided Malls and Wholesale stores. Now we are actually going for joy rides and shopping trips again, we always plan a quick charge if we are driving more than forty miles from home so we can return. As for our SUV, it's been parked for almost a month now, I was thinking of putting fuel stabilizer in it.

 

[Nubo]

+1 -- if anything we take MORE local trips on the weekends to take as much advantage while using our LEAF and using zero gas...

Similar situation for us. We have been using the LEAF to take our dog to a off-leash dog park on weekends. It's a great way for her to get socialization (she's a service dog) and its fun to meet other dogs (and their humans)

Before the LEAF we might have thought twice about making it a weekly outing. The 50 mile round trip is perfect for LEAF and we have range to spare for other errands.