It has already been possible to search for the location of electric vehicle chargers in Google Maps but there was no way to telling if the station would be free or in use when you eventually got there. It would have been better if this information was available within the Google Maps app itself. Now, it will be. Google Maps has started showing if an electric vehicle charger is free or in use.
Google Maps started showing the locations of EV chargers in October last year. It would initially show the number of chargers at a particular location in addition to pricing and wattage information aside from reviews from other drivers who had used them before.
This new functionality is currently available in the United States and the United Kingdom for charging stations operated by SemaConnect, EVgo, and Chargemaster. The company has confirmed that it’s going to add support for ChargePoint’s chargers in the near future. You’ll note that Tesla’s Superchargers are missing from this list. While they are listed in the app, they don’t show real-time charging information at this point in time.
It’s a neat little update which will make life easier for electric vehicle owners. They will now be able to see from within the app if the charger that they’re going out of their way for is free or taken. Since there are multiple chargers at most locations, they should be able to find one that’s free by the time they get there.
Filed in . Read more about Google Maps. Source: blog.google