CES is an exciting time of year for the gadget enthusiasts among us (this analyst happens to be an obsessive A/V and photography nerd). But there’s a limited set of announcements at the hardware-centric show that have anything to do with the Localogyverse: local media, advertising & commerce.
One of those points of intersection was brought to us this week by Google. It has merged electric vehicles (EVs) with one of the most inherently “local” topics out there: mapping. Always a staple – and a quickly developing one – for Google, its latest advancement is to map charging stations and EV status.
The latter is the key piece, as Google already had charging-station location data in Google Maps. The difference here is that the mapping makes proactive suggestions based on data from the car itself. This includes current battery status, driving speed, and other things that can help drivers plan in real-time.
Altogether, Google’s move addresses one of the biggest pain points for an EV owner: range anxiety. By having to mentally reconcile the car’s current battery status with the timing and location of charging stations along your route, it’s a cognitive load that no one should have to deal with while driving.
Two-Way Street
So how does this all work from the user perspective? Drivers initiate the process by entering a destination to Google Maps as they normally do. The app will then tell them the estimated battery level upon arrival at the specified destination, as well as options for charging stops along the way.
That last part is where Google will excel, given all the data it’s been collecting for the EV charging infrastructure, as noted. Beyond location, Google has started to build a taxonomy of relevant data like the tier of charging station (which determines charging speed), and any outages… which are common.
All the above works through Android Auto, which is how Google Maps is able to get its hands on real-time car diagnostics such as battery status. The magic happens when that data merges with Google Maps to provide drivers all the updates and alerts noted above, either on their phones or dash screens.
Backing up for context, Android Auto is a system that some EVs and non-EVs have baked in. Sort of like Apple Car Play, drivers connect their phones which can then integrate with car functions ranging from messaging to entertainment and navigation. This can be a two-way street for data and media.
Cognitive Load
Google’s move here is all in the integrations and in bringing together disparate data sets to produce intelligent suggestions and planning for drivers. And this makes sense for Google, as it’s already in prime position with all of the mapping and EV-charging station data. All it was missing was the car data.
The question is what competing offerings will emerge, especially among well-positioned auto-makers themselves. Though they have better vertical integration into the car data that doesn’t require third-party integrations, the Fords of the world traditionally aren’t great at software and UX (exception: Tesla).
And that’s likely why Ford is first in line to integrate this. The feature will roll out in the coming months, says Google, starting with the Ford Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning. From there, it will announce additional auto-maker integrations. That list could grow quickly, given robust auto-maker EV rollouts.
We’ll see who follows and if Google can corner the EV mapping market. Given projected growth in this category (though it’s been slower than initially expected), it could be one of Google’s next frontiers… along with Google TV’s growing integration in LED and OLED flagships from Sony and others.
