Google Maps has Added EV Charging Stations!!!

I guess Google added EV charging stations to it's Maps on March 9th. Nice to see it on my favorite navigation service.

http://i.green.autoblog.com/2011/03/13/google-maps-electric-vehicle-charging-stations/

Yeah, the only problem is that it seems to be more than a bit "iffy" when it comes to the data it returns.

Yeah, but so are the various third party sites. It'll get there, I'm sure. This probably puts a very big dent in many of those third party sites plans!

It's definitely a start and a great sign that EV's are going mainstream. I have yet to find an accurate, comprehensive charge station website but they are getting better. I am still scratching my head over why ChargePoint can't even keep track of it's own stations?! I mean, if any site should be accurate you would think they would know that they had already installed stations in the middle of SCP and that they have four stations instead of one at Santa Monica Place. Go figure :roll: .

TRONZ said:

I guess Google added EV charging stations to it's Maps on March 9th. Nice to see it on my favorite navigation service.

http://i.green.autoblog.com/2011/03/13/google-maps-electric-vehicle-charging-stations/

Click to expand...

OK, it came up with a local motel and Target.

Target had an ad for a 'Wii charging station'. Heaven only knows how the motel got in there.


It sounds like they are using a regular Google search and placing dots on the map if they find a hit.

In its current state, this sounds like it is worse than doing nothing.

Did a search and it turned up "interesting" results. Time for some emails looks like.

You have contact emails at Google? Share!

Cool that they are doing it. However, they will need to go a bit wider and more detailed than the DoE database. That data is pretty stale and doesn't filter by type of charger to be useful for Leaf. They still list SPI as Level 2 which is correct but it is not compatible with the Leaf.

Until somebody combines (or accesses) all the different chargw-location databases for display one one map, these many smaller incomplete "maps" will not get a lot of use.

Hopefully, Nissan's CARWINGS project is attempting to do something about this.

garygid said:

Until somebody combines (or accesses) all the different chargw-location databases for display one one map, these many smaller incomplete "maps" will not get a lot of use.

Hopefully, Nissan's CARWINGS project is attempting to do something about this.

Click to expand...

I am currently in contact with NavTeq about formalizing their effort to get verified charge point locations into the Nav system. They are working on the issue right now.

-Jeff