Google has added electric vehicle (EV) charging ports to its Maps app, including reviews and ratings of various stations across the globe.
The information will be added to Google Maps on iOS and Android from today, with a desktop launch planned in the coming weeks.
Much like searching for restaurants, shops and other services on Maps, users only need to search for ‘EV charging’ and the app will display nearby stations.
Businesses that include charging stations will also feature details about EV ports on their Google company listings.
“We’ll show you information about the business where the station is located, the types of ports available, charging speeds, and how many ports there are,” said Andrew Foster, group product manager for Google Maps.
“You’ll also see information about the station from drivers, including photos, ratings, reviews and questions.”
The platform will support Tesla and Chargepoint charging stations globally, as well as Chargemaster and Pod Point in the UK. The US will also cover SemaConnect, EVgo and Blink chargers, while Australia and New Zealand cover Chargefox ports.
Details about charging speeds and type of ports are useful, but the service doesn’t include any information about how many charging stations are free to use at any one time. That means drivers may end up turning up to a local station to find all its ports taken, although it’s worth noting individual websites for the charging networks do include this information.
According to charging point mapper Zap-Map, the UK has 18,439 charging connectors as of mid-October, with more being added on a regular basis. That might seem like a lot, but a report earlier this year by Emu Analytics found that number will need to reach 100,000 over the next two years if it’s to support a predicted 1 million electric vehicles on the roads.
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