Google Maps adds real-time information about available electric vehicle charging stations

(Photo credit: REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch/File Photo)

According to foreign media reports, Google announced that Google Maps can now directly display real-time information about available charging stations to electric car drivers.

The announcement comes six months after Google announced it would begin showing the locations of electric vehicle charging stations from Tesla, Chargepoint, Chargemaster and other companies in its Maps app .

Details displayed include the number of charging stations available, station locations, charging speeds, read station reviews, view photos, see ratings, and read questions from other visitors.

The electric vehicle market is modest in size compared to diesel and gasoline vehicles, but it is growing fast. Inadequate charging infrastructure remains one of the biggest barriers to electric vehicle adoption, as people worry that their cars will run out of juice if they can’t find an electric vehicle charging station. As a result, there has been a surge in investment and acquisitions in the electric vehicle charging space.

Alex Donaldson, product manager for Google Maps, wrote in a blog post that when Google Maps launches, it will display real-time information about available electric vehicle charging stations from Chargemaster, EVgo and SemaConnect, and will include charging station information from Chargepoint in the future.

It would be very interesting to see companies like EV charging companies (and Google Maps) introduce some kind of reservation facility, as it would save drivers from having to arrive at a charging station only to find that the available charging stations have already been snapped up by someone else. Currently, this new Google Maps feature for electric vehicle users is available on desktop, Android devices, iOS devices, and Android Auto.