Google Maps will now show you if your closest EV charging station is in use or not

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If you own an electric vehicle, or if you’re thinking about getting one but you’re put off by “range anxiety,” Google Maps is coming to the rescue, again. Back in October of last year, electric vehicle charging station locations were added to Google Maps, and now those charging stations show real-time availability so you can know if there are any vacant chargers before you drive to the charging station.

If you’re in the US or UK, the update is rolling out now, to Google Maps on Android, iOS, Desktop and Google Maps for Android Auto.

According to Google, just search for “ev charging stations” to bring up current data on charger availability from networks like “Chargemaster, EVgo, SemaConnect, and soon, Chargepoint.” That info includes port availability, times of operation, charging speeds and the name of the business that the chargers are situated inside of.

Not having to go to the respective websites or apps for every EV charging network should make trips far easier to navigate

Tesla’s vehicles already tell you this kind of information on the in-dash screen, so Google Maps is just getting a feature that Tesla owners have had for some time now.

The new functionality in Google Maps should make planning those close-to or over-range trips easier, especially if you’re going to an unfamiliar city. While electric vehicles are gaining in popularity, it’s still harder to find chargers than it is to find a gas station. Until the time that a charger is on every corner, we’ll need apps to tell us where the closest chargers are.

When looking for your nearest EV charging station, don’t forget to check a couple of things:

• Availability: Many popular apps will show you if the charger is currently in use. 
• Last used/Reviews: It’s known the public charging stations will break from time to time, you can look for signals to see if the charger is working by reading reviews and checking if it has been in use recently. 
• Type of connection: Public charging stations are either tethered or untethered. If the charging station is untethered, you require an EV charging cable which you can purchase from EV Cable Shop.

I wonder if Google Maps will soon tell you if your Tesla Supercharger is bro-caded by a bunch of trucks.. Until then, head on over to the Google Play Store or App Store to grab the latest version of Google Maps with real-time EV charging station information.

Glad to see this feature in Google Maps? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

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Joe Rice-Jones

Maker, meme-r, and unabashed geek with nearly half a decade of blogging experience at KnowTechie, SlashGear and XDA Developers. If it runs on electricity (or even if it doesn't), Joe probably has one around his office somewhere, with particular focus in gadgetry and handheld gaming. Shoot him an email at joe@knowtechie.com.