Google is currently working hard on the route options in its map service. Among other things, there will be more CO2-friendly route planning and a few other innovations for Google Maps.
Google Maps is one of the most popular map services in the world. Users can use the application on both desktop and mobile. Real-time maps with route information and much more are available. For many, the service is therefore an integral part of everyday life – from looking for a specific address to traffic information on the way to vacation. Google therefore regularly provides Maps with updates. Google has now announced further innovations via its blog, which are mainly coming to Europe.
Drive more climate-friendly with the Google Maps update
Since March 2021, in the USA and now also in Canada, there has been the option of choosing not only the probably fastest route but also the one with the lowest CO2 consumption. An AI calculates this route based on fuel consumption, among other things. Incidentally, this applies to both combustion engines and electric cars.
At the Google I/O 2022, the company had already announced that it wanted to bring the climate-friendly feature to Europe this summer; TECHBOOK reported. It is now known that we can probably expect the corresponding update for Google Maps in the summer months. This is certainly exciting both in terms of the climate and your own wallet. If the travel time for the fastest and the most environmentally friendly route is close together, Google Maps automatically selects the latter option after the update.
In the future, users will be able to store vehicle information
The next upcoming innovation complements the more climate-friendly routes. As just mentioned, both drivers of combustion engines and e-cars can use the climate-optimized route option. Analysts have discovered corresponding information in the source code of a beta update.
What is new in this regard will be that you will be able to store detailed information about your vehicle in the future. As is well known, the type of vehicle you drive plays an important role in energy consumption. However, it is not yet officially known how detailed the possible information will be. According to the analysts, the most likely breakdown is between petrol, diesel, electric cars or hybrids.
Google Maps brings “Preferred modes”
This is accompanied by a general adjustment of the user interface. Some US beta users have been reporting for some time that they can plan their routes in more detail by excluding certain modes of transport from the outset.
Since mid-June there has also been the additional option – unfortunately also only in the USA so far – of filtering by toll fees. This feature should also be interesting for many people on vacation in this country. Generally avoiding toll roads has been necessary for the map service for some time. In the future, however, it will probably be possible to obtain exact prices for the individual routes. It is questionable whether the function will come to us this summer. But if you spend your summer vacation in the USA, Japan, Indonesia or India, you can test the feature directly.