Waze makes EV charging stops easier

Popular navigation application Waze has gained a new search feature to help electric vehicle drivers find a public charging station.

The crowdsourced-based navigation app utilises reports from users, which is then verified, to show up-to-date information on EV charging station availability.

Users can specify their EV model charging plug type within the app which then allows Waze to search the appropriate charge points along their route.

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The feature will roll out globally in the coming weeks.

“Charging station information is often inconsistent, outdated or unreliable, creating a major pain point for EV drivers who may navigate to a charging station only to discover they can’t find it or use it,” Waze said.

“Thanks to local Map Editors from our Waze Community, EV data is reviewed and updated in real-time to provide the most accurate, comprehensive information to the map.”

Google Maps has already allowed searching for EV charging locations since 2018, despite the technology search and advertising giant owning Waze since 2013.

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Vehicles with its built-in Android Automotive operating system, including electric cars from Polestar, Volvo and Renault, can even integrate their battery’d state-of-charge to automatically plan charging stops if needed – but this feature first debuted in Tesla’s own system.

Waze doesn’t offer this functionality yet, even though it will roll out a built-in Android Automotive app to Renault vehicles this year.

Apps such as PlugShare already let owners find public EV charging stations and A Better Route Planner can also pre-plan charging stops for those longer road trips based on estimating the car’s energy consumption and battery percentage.