Google Maps can now pick the most efficient route for EVs

Enlarge / What's this? An "Engine Type" option? (credit: Google)

Google Maps has pointed out "eco-friendly" routes for a while now. If you have a gas-powered car, the logic is something like the "smoothest" ride with the least stops and starts will have the best fuel efficiency. But what if you don't have a gas guzzler? Electric vehicles use the least power in basically the opposite situation: low-speed stop-and-go traffic.

Google Maps' newest feature will let you pick your car's engine type, with "Gas," "Diesel," "Electric," and "Hybrid" available as options for the eco-route planning to consider. Google says "in the coming weeks," the feature will roll out to the US, Europe, and Canada. Europe is also getting its first taste of Google Maps eco-routing, starting today.

Efficient routes get this green leaf on the routing preview screen. (credit: Google)

Google says picking an engine type will allow it to "get the best route and most accurate fuel or energy efficiency estimates." The company says that "this technology is made possible thanks to insights from the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and data from the European Environment Agency. By pairing this information with Google Maps driving trends, we were able to develop advanced machine learning models trained on the most popular engine types in a given region."

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