Google Maps

Google Maps extends fuel-saving routes to Germany ahead of larger Europe expansion

Ben Schoon | Aug 12 2022 - 7:52 am PT

Last year Google Maps added support for showing routes that are eco-friendly and fuel-saving in the United States, with the promise that those routes would expand in the future. Now, Google Maps is bringing fuel-saving routes to Germany.

As fuel prices rise and climate change impacts the globe more and more, choosing a more efficient route to get from point A to point B can help save money and prevent emissions.

That was the goal behind fuel-saving routes in Google Maps when they debuted in the United States and Canada last year. The feature calculates more efficient routes based on traffic, stops, and terrain to determine your carbon footprint. By default, Maps usually suggests the most eco-friendly route, but users can switch this to show the fastest route instead.

As of this week, Google Maps is bringing these eco-friendly, fuel-saving routes to Germany. The feature is being rolled out “immediately” and will be available to all users across Android and iOS “in the coming weeks.”

Google notes:

…we will show you not only the fastest route but also the fuel-saving route if this is not already the fastest. At a glance, you can see the relative fuel savings and difference in estimated time of arrival between routes and choose the one that suits you best.
In addition to the length of the route, the function also includes other factors such as the gradient of the road and traffic jams in the calculation, thus helping to optimize potential fuel consumption.

Notably, Google Maps was already actively working to curb fuel usage in Germany and other parts of Europe. In June, the app debuted a feature that would notify the driver if the route went through a “low-emission zone” in Germany, France, the UK, and other regions, suggesting a different route if the vehicle was not suitable for that zone.

Google previously announced that these eco-friendly, fuel-saving routes would be expanding to Europe, so it’s likely that other countries are just around the corner.