Google Maps wants to be a real alternative for electric car drivers by integrating new features, and above all, a route planner that takes charging into account.
Google has just announced a series of new features for Google Maps. Among the announcements of February 08, 2023, Google wants to make life easier for drivers of electric cars. Finally, only for cars that are equipped with the Android automotive system! On the program for these models: an intelligent route planner, which takes into account the charging time, as well as an optimized search for charging stations.
Since 2021, Google Maps has already improved the integration of charging stations into its navigation tool accessible to all. It is unfortunate that these new announcements exclusively concern cars running on the Google ecosystem, such as the Volvo, Polestar or the Renault Megane e-tech.
A scheduler that will optimize charging stops
Google will soon be able define the most suitable charging stop to minimize the total journey time. A route will take into account both the driving time and the charging time, depending on the power of the terminals available in the proposed stations. Google will also take into account other factors to optimize the route such as: the state of the traffic and the autonomy (or consumption) performance of your vehicle.
Google Maps could therefore in the future advantageously replace the failure of certain car manufacturers who do not offer a route planner integrating recharging on the route. Too bad this feature is not available for those who use Google Maps on a smartphone connected to the car by Android Auto or Apple CarPlay. This may be a step to improve the system, before distributing it on a larger scale.
Easier station searches
Google Maps also adds two other rather useful features:
- a filter to select only ultra-fast terminals (over 150 kW)
- an indication of the presence of terminals on the sheets of points of interest (shops, hotels, tourist sites, etc.)
By launching a search for charging points near your location, you can filter the result to display only charging stations that are fast enough to make a short stop to recharge. A feature that already exists on other very useful applications such as Chargemap planners, A Better Route Planner or Chargefinder.
Google also undertakes to integrate the presence of charging stations (slow or fast) directly on the sheets of the places concerned in the search results. This will make it easier to choose between two hotels or two restaurants, should you need to recharge during your layover.
Finally, Waze will also integrate a filter to specify the type of socket with which your electric car is equipped to facilitate the search for compatible charging stations.
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