When driving an electric car, the two most common questions you get from people fairly new (or completely new) to the technology are: “How long does it take to charge?” And “How far can you drive before you have to charge again?” The thing it seems they often don’t understand is that you can do other things while charging. Even if you do understand that, but don’t yet live with an EV, we figured it could be helpful to demonstrate things I often do while charging.
Also, worth noting here is that I don’t have home charging, so all of my charging is done in public places.
Things I Do While Charging A Nissan LEAF Or BMW i3– Top 10 List
1. Exercise. I enjoy walking. Several of the EV charging stations in my city are located in great places for taking a walk or exercising in other ways. Naturally, we all need to exercise, so this is usefully spent time. Also, if you still have young kids, you can exercise with the family.
2. Explore (adventure). You will find new spots as you find charging stations in corners of the city to which you had never been drawn. Using a variety of charging stations in your area can teach you more about the place you call home, and make you feel a bit like a tourist. I take in local history, for example. I get to know “old” Florida, giving myself history lessons of the place I’ve lived for decades.
4. Photography. If you enjoy photography, and if you have a smartphone, you can take and edit photos with it while charging. You cannot pull out an easel and set up paints in the time required to charge — still, with photography, there are brief remembrances of the day to share or punctuate life’s movements and still points.
5. Shop. I pick up food for dinner, lunch, and breakfast while charging. This is a necessity of life, for those of us who aren’t millionaires sending people to go shopping for us. Surely, this is something many EV drivers can do while charging.
6. Process and plan. I make notes and complete what is incomplete for the day, planning and processing life.
7. Contemplate. Charging gives one time to sit and consider one’s day, consider life, consider the meaning of life.
8. Compose. I find the approach I will take to another story or article as I contemplate and process. It has been a while since I wrote poetry, but this is on my mind if I ever get caught up on work.
9. Sketch. One can go freestyle at this point and doodle or write, another old pastime I can rediscover in the LEAF.
10. Educate. As people walk by, and I see their genuine interest, I share more news and information about EVs. A great deal of education is needed in order to make more people aware of EVs and their great benefits. I try to do my part.
Related Stories:
Out of Town Trip In A Nissan Leaf No Problem
Images by Cynthia Shahan
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