Most Drives Are Short
When we think about the frequent usage of a car, you might think of road-trips or long distance drives. But the reality is different. According to US Department of Energy, a majority of U.S. vehicle trips are less than 6 miles long, while only about 6.9% are longer than 30 miles.
This means that much of the time families spend in the car happens during short, everyday trips. Going to school, shopping groceries, going to practice, running errands, or driving home may only take a few minutes. But these trips happen again and again.
The DOE uses this travel data to help think about EV battery size and where charging stations are needed. For our research, the same question can be asked from a different perspective: if most trips are short, what can a car do with those small moments of time?
The answer may not be about creating more entertainment for long road trips. It may be about designing small opportunities for families to talk, share, play, or simply be together during the short drives they make every day.
References
U.S. Department of Energy, Alternative Fuels Data Center. Share of All U.S. Vehicle Trips by Length (miles). Data source: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 2022 National Household Travel Survey.
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