Google Maps will now let you save money with this feature

If you now navigate with Google Maps, you will also see the most environmentally friendly route in addition to the fastest route. If you choose this route, you will use the least fuel and therefore pay less at the pump. The function in Google Maps is now available in the Netherlands and Belgium.

Eco-friendly trails in Maps

Fuel prices are currently high and at the same time we face enormous challenges with global warming. A new feature in Maps can help with both issues, because with the new environmentally friendly routes your car will use less fuel or battery capacity.

The feature was previously announced, but it is now available in the Netherlands, Google says in a press release. As soon as you calculate a route for your car in Maps, you will recognize the most environmentally friendly option with the icon of a green leaf. You always see how much less fuel you will use by choosing this route instead of the fastest option, and of course you also see the difference in the arrival time.

This is how the environmentally friendly routes work

You can also set to prefer fuel-efficient routes by default in the navigation app. To do this, when viewing the different routes in Maps, tap the menu with the three dots and then tap Driving options. Then you choose Preference for fuel-efficient routes. You can then select the engine type of your car in a drop-down menu: petrol, diesel or electric. According to Google, the type of car you use in Maps also determines the calculation for the environmentally friendly route.

How does it work?

Behind the function are algorithms that Google has developed together with scientists. It joined forces with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in the United States and the European Environment Agency, among others. Google analyzes driving trends in Maps and links them to machine learning models. It also looks at factors that influence emissions, fuel and battery consumption, such as the average fuel consumption of vehicles, the gradient of the road, traffic patterns, road type and speed limits.

Google is convinced that the new feature in Maps could save one million tons of CO2 emissions per year. That is equivalent to taking 200,000 cars off the road every year. According to Google Netherlands, the function is being rolled out in phases and we were not able to use it in the editors yet.