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The company is posting features on Google Maps and Google Flights to show how travel plans can contribute to climate change.
In addition to showing drivers the fastest way to get to their destination, Google Maps will now show the most fuel-efficient route.
To provide this new functionality, Google integrated data from the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, which estimates that environmentally friendly routing has the potential to prevent more than a million tonnes of carbon emissions from entering the atmosphere annually. That’s the equivalent of taking 200,000 cars off the road, says Google.
On the Google Maps application, the most ecological route will be displayed with a small green leaf next to it. The route option will include information on the journey time and how much fuel the driver could save.
Options for bikers
It’s no secret that biking is a greener travel option than driving, and the use of bike routes on Maps has increased 98% in the past year, according to Google. The tech company is focused on exploiting cyclists with a new feature called ‘easy navigation’ that gives cyclists important details about their routes.
This feature is introduced after Google heard from cyclists who were fed up with following step-by-step directions on their phones. After all, bikers tend to put their phones away for most of the trip.
With simplified navigation, riders will be able to see the details of their route without having to keep their screen on or activate turn-by-turn navigation.
Cyclists will also be able to follow the progress of their journey, see their updated ETA in real time and find details of the elevation change of their route.
Sharing bikes and scooters
In addition to the bike functionality, in 300 cities including Berlin, New York and São Paulo, Google Maps is introducing a feature that will provide more information about sharing bikes and scooters. With this new option, Google Maps users will be able to find nearby docking stations and determine how many vehicles are available at that time.
To make this feature possible, Google has partnered with bike and scooter companies including Europe-based Donkey Republic, Tier and Voi, as well as US-based Bird and Spin.
Find flights with less carbon emissions
“Newer planes are generally less polluting than older planes,” the company said in its press release. “Emissions increase for premium economy and first class seats because they take up more space and represent a larger share of total emissions,” Google added.
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