Currently, when we search for a route through the Google Maps app, the proposed routes are chosen based on travel time, whether or not we take highway sections, or even whether there are roadworks that could block a road. But last week, Google announced an improvement to its route tool: it will now be able to display the most ecological routes.
Google Maps is one of many Google services based on artificial intelligence. This use of AI allows many exploitations of Google’s flagship service, such as the one recently proposed by the firm: to propose by default the most ecological route, that is, the one that emits the leastCO2 when two trips of almost equal duration are deduced from the algorithm running the route tool. Dane Glasgow, vice president of product, says the fastest route will be highlighted if it really saves time. However, the most ecological route will be mentioned and it will be possible to compare the carbon footprint of the two routes in order to make your own judgement.
In order to develop this new feature, the American giant joined forces with the National Renewable Energy Lab of the US Department of Energy as part of this collaboration. The expertise of the researchers then enabled Google’s data scientists and developers to modify the route decision algorithm in such a way as to take into account aspects such as slowdowns due to traffic jams or the degree of inclination of a road.
Still with the environment in mind, Google has also developed an alert that lets drivers know when they are in alow-carbon zone. This system will be available in France in June. As for the ecological itineraries, Google hopes to launch its novelty during the year 2021 and eventually extend this functionality everywhere in the world.
Translated from Une fonctionnalité permettra à terme d’afficher les trajets les plus écologiques sur Google Maps
