Google Maps helps you find ‘hidden’ EV chargers thanks to AI

Google Maps will soon take advantage of artificial intelligence to help you find electric car chargers located in hard-to-reach places. As Mountain View explains, this feature will help make it easier to plan a route with appropriate stops along the way.

It is worth noting that the new artificial intelligence-based feature will be available not only in Maps, but also in the Google search engine. The company’s goal is to give electric vehicle drivers the most specific indications so that they can access all chargers available in the areas they will be traveling through.

So the goal is to provide instructions that will allow you to take advantage of the EV chargers that installed in an inconspicuous place. For example, in underground or multi-story parking lots. The goal is that trips can be arranged using optimal routes, without users having to divert or take longer routes to use more known or accessible charging points.

What will be the role of artificial intelligence in this Google Maps tool? The technology will be used to analyze the millions of EV charger reviews that are posted—and continue to be posted daily—in Maps and Navigation apps, Californians said. What the AI ​​will do will be make a summary of these reviews indicating the exact location of the chargers.

Once this is activated, drivers will begin receiving instructions such as: “Enter the underground parking lot and follow the signs to the exit. Turn right before exiting.” Under the Google Maps instructions, a note will be included that the content was processed and created using artificial intelligence.

Google Maps uses artificial intelligence to make it easier to find EV chargers

New AI-generated directions for finding EV charging points will be available on Google Maps in the coming months. A specific date has not yet been announced, but there will certainly be more news about it during Google I/O 2024, which will take place in May.

It’s also worth noting that users will be able to flag whether instructions will reach “hidden” chargers. whether they were helpful or not. This will certainly allow Google to fine-tune the accuracy in case the steps that the drivers follow are not 100% accurate.

But that won’t be the only EV charger-related improvement coming to Google Maps. Very soon the application browser will start showing you in real time charging points closest to your route. It will also tell you how many seats it has and how many are occupied, as well as the loading speed.

This will initially include electric vehicles that come pre-installed with Google Maps, with later availability expanding. Mountain View officials have so far said the tool will be launched in the coming months, without elaborating.

Finally, Google Maps will introduce a new option that will recommend electric vehicle chargers when planning your route. The software will begin suggesting the best charging stations along the way before your trip even begins, providing not only the arrival time, but also an estimate of the remaining battery level and the recharging time required at each stop.