Google Maps gets eco-friendly routing, lite navigation for cyclists coming soon

Google has rolled out a major update to its navigation platform, Google Maps. This new update aims to help commuters reduce their overall emissions and enable them make “greener” choices as they travel from one place to another. The company has introduced a total of three features. While eco-friendly routing and bike and scooter share information are live now, the third feature that is designed for cyclists will be rolled out in the coming days.

Eco-friendly routing

Earlier this year, Google announced that Google Maps would get a new routing model that would not only get users to their destinations quickly but also optimise the routes for lower fuel consumption. Now, Google has finally started rolling out eco-friendly routing to its users in the US on Android and iOS. Google said that it will expand this functionality to its users in Europe in 2022. “We estimate that eco-friendly routing has the potential to prevent over one million tons of carbon emissions per year — that’s the equivalent of removing over 200,000 cars from the road,” Google wrote in a blog post.

Google also said that in addition to showing the fastest route, Google Maps will also display the one that's the most fuel-efficient, even if it doesn’t happen to also be the fastest one. Commuters will be able to see their relative fuel savings and ETA difference between the two routes and choose the one that works best for them.

Bike and scooter share information

Google also announced that it has expanded the bike and scooter sharing information to over 300 cities around the world. This feature is available in Google Maps on Android and iOS.

Lite navigation for cyclists

Lastly, Google is introducing a feature called Lite Navigation for cyclists. With lite navigation, cyclists can quickly see important details about their route without needing to keep their screen on or enter turn-by-turn navigation. They will be able to track their trip progress, see their ETA update in real-time, and know the elevation of their route at a glance. Google has started rolling out Lite Navigation in Google Maps on Android and this feature will arrive in Google Maps on iOS in the coming months.