Did you forget to charge your electric car? Not sure if you have enough battery to finish your journey? With this new feature from Google, you can hit the road with peace of mind.

Google chooses a charging station for you

The technology giant announced that with  the new update   it is easier to find a charging station nearby. You can specify in the app what kind of charger your car needs and then the app filters for suitable charging stations. If you still prefer to stop at a different charging station (one with a restaurant, for example), you can simply change this with one button. Pluginvest customers with a public  Charge@Public charging card  can take advantage of this! For cars with the built-in Google platform, Maps can now also automatically calculate when you need to make a charging stop and also immediately find a suitable charging point for this.

In EVs that have the built-in Google platform, the moment you need to stop to recharge is determined based on a number of factors:

• The current traffic situation

• Your car's battery level

• Expected energy consumption

Don't want to waste too much time charging?

The new update will include an option to filter charging stations by 'fast-charging'. With that, it will show chargers that provide 150 kilowatts or above. This allows most EV's to be fully charged in less than 40 minutes. As of now, it’s only possible to filter charging stations of 50 kW and above, in the Mobile App. You can also filter charging stations based on the opening hours. 

Charge points 

A quick charge during your weekly supermarket visit will now also be easier. You'll see which charging points are available at places like supermarkets, restaurants, hotels and more...

Is this also available for me?

The new update will currently only be available for electric cars with Google's built-in platform. The following brands, among others, currently have the feature available in some of their EV models: Polestar,  Volvo, Ford  and Renault. But you can currently find charging stations even with the Google Maps app on your smartphone or browser, only you will have to schedule them yourself.
Yet another way to minimise 'range anxiety'! 
Alweer een manier om ‘range anxiety’ te minimaliseren!