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I Let Android Auto Plan My EV Roadtrip. Here’s How It Worked

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I Let Android Auto Plan My EV Roadtrip. Here’s How It Worked

Google is taking the guesswork out of long electric vehicle road trips by rolling out route planning on Android Auto. The tech giant first made the announcement in March, and the feature is coming to EVs from more than a dozen automakers. I got to try it out this week in the Lexus ES 350e, and it's genuinely useful, albeit slightly inaccurate.

Route planning basically suggests charging stops along your way, so you don’t have to waste time calculating how much range you need to reach your destination. The EV can do that for you based on its battery percentage and range.

Many EVs already offer this capability through their factory navigation systems. Tesla and Rivian have offered integrated route planning for years. Neither of them support Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, but their native systems work so brilliantly that you barely ever have to think about charging while covering longer distances, since the EVs literally tell you where and how long to stop to recharge.

However, Android Auto has the potential to democratize route planning in a way that’s never been done before. It can support EVs old and new, across price brackets and segments. Google said the roll out will support more than 15 brands to begin with, and more will be added over time.

It’s kind of a big deal, especially for drivers on the fence about going electric, as it can eliminate the task of finding plugs yourself. The update came to the ES 350e while I had it for testing, and it removed the psychological barrier of charging anxiety, even though I knew there were plenty of charging options along my usual test routes.


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