In the days before the motorcar you would have a horse that could go anywhere, and if no horse you could walk anywhere. Same freedom, the car is irrelevant.
When I work 12 hours 10 miles from where I live, what you propose is impractical. The car gives us freedom to live and work where we choose.
I suspect that those of us who live in the country have far more economical driving habits.
When I drive, I do all my driving at that time. Also I have little or no traffic issues to deal with as well as fewer stops and starts.