Google Maps Upgraded With Fuel Saving And Bike Navigation

For years, Google Maps has also offered a routing mode for cyclists, but now Google has announced for the first time that it is introducing a navigation mode optimized for bicycles with the so-called lite navigation. But it will still take some time until it is available.

As Google announced today, in addition to the well-known turn-by-turn navigation for cyclists, they also want to offer a special mode that is better adapted to use on the bike. This means that the display no longer has to be switched on to receive quick updates on the progress of the respective trip.

Cyclists should be able to concentrate better on the road and not be distracted by navigation. According to Google, there has been a lot of demand for such an improvement as most bike users do not attach their phone to the bike and keep it in their pocket. For those Maps users who still attach their smartphone to the handlebar, the Lite Navigation also provides a quick overview of the travel progress using a 2D map.

Fuel-saving navigation in Europe coming from 2022

For motorists, Google is now also bringing a new fuel-saving mode on a larger scale. The feature was announced for the first time a few months ago but is only now rolling out in the USA. For Europe, the introduction has now also been announced for the year 2022.

With the “eco-friendly routing” mode, Google Maps should no longer only find the shortest and fastest route to the destination, but also the most energy-efficient one. The developers work with artificial intelligence and use information from authorities such as the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory to optimize navigation for the most fuel-efficient routes possible.

Among other things, one even wants to show an assessment of how great the fuel savings can be when choosing a route that may be somewhat longer. The potential of the new function is said to be enormous: According to estimates by Google, more than a million tons of carbon dioxide emissions could be saved per year if the eco mode was widely used in navigation via Google Maps.