Google Maps polishes its EV experience with better charging station discoverability
What you need to know
Google Maps has started rolling out a new "charging station" filter that users can produce after selecting their vehicle type in settings.
Tapping the filter will highlight charging stations in a user's area alongside information like addresses and charging speeds.
Google plans to roll out more EV-related features "in the coming" months.
Google is pushing a new update for Maps that helps smoothen the edges surrounding its EV experience for drivers.
German publication Smartdroid spotted a new filter for Google Maps that lets users search for "Charging Stations" (via 9to5Google). To see this, EV owners must hop into the Maps app settings and navigate to "Your Vehicle." Selecting "electric" under "Engine type" will force this new charging station filter to appear.
Additionally, after selecting your vehicle, the new filter replaces the typical "Gas" filter in Maps.
The charging station filter quickly throws users into a search within Maps and begins marking the various spots in their area. More importantly, a list will appear, allowing users to scroll through the charging stations. The list looks at the spot's address and the number of chargers available.
EV drivers are also given information about the speed of the chargers. A quick test showed that Google will state whether the station can charge "slow," "medium," "fast," or "very fast."
The publication then reported another update for Maps, which involves the app highlighting a street when searched. The deep blue highlight will span the entire length of the street, giving users a full understanding of it to plan their trips accordingly.
This is a useful change, considering Maps would previously drop a pin on the street without much context as to where it begins and ends.
We've noticed both changes in our internal test, so more users should begin to spot them throughout the day.
Google's ambitions to improve the EV experience in Maps were detailed in April. The company stated it plans to roll out accurate charging station information for drivers who may be running low on energy. Google plans to detail charging speeds, plug type, and more. So far, we're already seeing charging speeds, so the rest should surely begin to follow.
