What is the purpose for the pod throwing you?

I completed all of the playthroughs in NieR: Automata and when going through the quests that I had missed through chapter select, I accidentally found a new move (R1 + X) where the pod kind of spins you in a circle and then throws you in the direction you are pointing. Is there a purpose for this move (maybe allowing for a longer series of jumps to cross any platforms)? It appears that it is just another way to move.

That's technically an attack, as I discovered recently. It doesn't do very much damage and it's quite difficult to aim, so it's not very useful. Most weapons can close the gap between you and an enemy pretty well as it is.

Here is a video of me partially attempting an arena with only pod kicks. If it looks like its powerful, it's because these enemies are 19 levels lower. It doesn't actually do much damage.

There's a side quest in the city that looks like it can only be reached by use of the pod kick mechanic to close the distance.