For over a year now, Google Maps has had the functionality to search for electric vehicle (EV) charging points, which not only allows EV owners to locate stations for juicing up their rides, but also provides them information related to the type and capacity of the charger available. Furthering the convenience, the California-based tech giant has now introduced a feature that enables users to specifically narrow down the search for the type of chargers compatible with their EV.
Searching for related terms (such as “electric vehicle charging stations”) in the Google Maps app now prompts users to choose the type of plug compatible with their vehicles and shows results accordingly. People can even use options that appear under the search box to filter the results for appropriate plug types. Moreover, owners can head to the app’s ‘Settings’ menu and add the desired plug type under the ‘Electric vehicle settings’ sub-menu.
Google allows users to choose from most of the widely accepted plug types available including DC charging standards like CCS combo 1, CCS combo 2 (used by Audi e-tron, Jaguar I-Pace, Hyundai Kona Electric and the upcoming MG ZS EV), CHAdeMO (used by Nissan Leaf) and Tesla supercharger, as well as AC charging standards like Type 2 (used by majority of EVs). The recently added functionality should help moderate range anxiety issues better by proving to be a handy trick for people trying to locate appropriate charging facilities on the go.
Media reports suggest that the new functionality is available on the latest Android and iOS versions of the Google Maps app in countries like the US and UK. However, the nifty feature is yet to go live in India, with the latest Android app iteration (version 10.31.1) still lacking the recently added functionality. With Hyundai already present in our market with a serious EV offering (the Kona Electric) and mainstream players like MG, Tata, Mahindra and Maruti Suzuki – in addition to luxury automakers including Audi, Porsche and Jaguar – slated to join the fray in the coming months, we can surely expect Google to roll out its latest update in India soon.
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