Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Cars
  3. News

Google Maps makes it easier to find EV charging stations via plug type

Trevor Mogg
By

In a move that could save electric-car owners precious time each day, Google Maps has rolled out a new feature that lets you more easily confirm the plug types used at nearby charging stations.

Different models of electric vehicles (EVs) use different connectors, for example, BMW and Volkswagen EVs use CCS for fast charging, Nissan and Mitsubishi use CHAdeMO, and Tesla has its proprietary supercharger design. Spotted by Android Police, the new Google Maps feature adds a drop-down menu that appears when you begin a search for nearby charging stations. The menu lists all of the available connectors at nearby stations, and tapping on the connector that fits your vehicle quickly filters the results.

Recommended Videos

Google Maps added EV charger information earlier this year, but the new filter feature should help you to locate a suitable charging station even more quickly.

Related

You’ll also find a new “Electric vehicle settings” option in Google Maps’ settings that lets you add the plug types that correspond with your vehicle so that you can see relevant results even more quickly.

Google Maps’ other handy EV-related feature is that it lets you know the real-time availability of nearby charging ports, which should help to reduce stress if you need to get somewhere and don’t want to be waiting around for a free port.

Of course, there are plenty of other apps out there that help you locate nearby charging stations according to connector type, but having the feature folded into a commonly used app like Google Maps should make it all the more convenient to use.

The new Maps functionality is available for EV drivers in the U.S. using Android and iPhone devices. We’ve reached out to Google to find out if the feature is available globally and we will update this article if we hear back.

Thinking of splashing out on your first electric car, or maybe replacing your current one with a new design? Digital Trends has looked at the current crop of available models and settled on some of the best designs. They include Tesla’s $100,000 Model S at the top end, and the more wallet-friendly Nissan Leaf, priced at $30,000, at the other. In between those price points you’ll also find offerings from BMW, Audi, and Chevrolet.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Trevor Mogg
Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
Beware of this EV with pitiful charging speed — and others like it
Close up of the Hybrid car electric charger station with power supply plugged into an electric car being charged.

With a proper setup, owning and driving an electric car can be a pretty seamless experience. If you have a charger at home, you'll never really have to worry about charging -- simply plug in at home, and your car will always have enough juice to get you through the day.

But that convenience can fall apart when you go on road trips. Whether it's just a short jaunt out of town, or a cross-country adventure, you'll suddenly have to keep track of nearby charging stations, and allot enough time to charge up your car. With a car like the Kia EV6 and Ioniq 5, that can be a relatively quick stop -- especially if you find a 350-kilowatt charging station that can charge your car in a matter of 15 or 20 minutes.

Read more
Mercedes EV charging hubs are coming to North America by the end of the decade
What a future Mercedes-Benz EV charging hub might look like.

You can't have more electric cars without more charging stations, so Mercedes-Benz is building a global charging network covering North America, China, Europe, and other major markets to support its goal of going all-electric by the end of the decade where market conditions allow.

Announced at CES 2023, the network should be in place by the end of the decade in line with Mercedes' electrification goal. It's a bold move by the automaker, which has mostly relied on third-party charging networks until now.

Read more
The best EV charging apps help you find the right station for any electric car
Close up of the Hybrid car electric charger station with power supply plugged into an electric car being charged.

Charging an electric car can be confusing. Unlike gas cars, there are all kinds of things to take into account when finding a charging station -- like how many chargers are at a station, how fast they can charge, and whether or not they offer the right charging connector for your car.

Thankfully, there are a number of dedicated EV charging apps out there, and the likes of Apple Maps and Google Maps have gotten better at helping users find charging stations near them. That's not to mention all the network-specific apps and car-specific apps that manufacturers and charging companies have made.

Read more