As fuel prices soar, all means are good to use less in order to reduce expenses. And soon, you will be able to use Google Maps to find the routes that will allow you to consume less, when you move.
During its annual I/O conference, Google presented a major update to its Google Maps application. It has a new mode called Immersive View, a kind of evolution of Google Street View which allows you to watch 3D views of certain cities.
But in addition to this immersive view, Google Maps will also roll out the fuel saving feature in Europe. This was launched last year in the United States and Canada. As Sundar Pichai explains, finding a route that consumes less fuel not only saves the user money, but also reduces carbon emissions.
Since the launch in North America, this feature has already been used to travel over 138 billion kilometers. And it would have avoided half a million tonnes of carbon emissions, which is equivalent to taking 100,000 cars off the road.
“I'm happy to share that we're expanding this feature to more places, including Europe later this year,” the Google CEO announced. “In this example from Berlin (note, image below), you could reduce your fuel consumption by 18% by taking a route that takes only three minutes less. These small decisions have a big impact on a large scale. With expansion in Europe and beyond, we estimate that carbon emissions savings will double by the end of the year. »
According to the CEO of Google, this route in Berlin reduces consumption by 18%, but saves only 3 minutes. © Google
In his announcement, Pichai also recalled that for air travel, the Google Flights comparator already allows travelers to find the flights with the lowest carbon emissions. “These eco-friendly features in Maps and Flights are part of our goal to empower 1 billion people to make more sustainable choices through our products, and we're thrilled with the progress made here.” .
Google multiplies climate initiatives
And as an article published by The Guardian explains, Google's climate efforts also extend to hotels, since the search engine can highlight the efforts made by establishments in terms of sustainable development. In addition, on the shopping section, Google will also allow you to compare the energy efficiency of products.
As far as its own emissions are concerned, the Mountain View firm is also making enormous progress. Thanks to offsetting, Google has already been carbon neutral for years. But the firm wants to go further.
“In our decade of founding, Google became the first major company to be carbon neutral. In the second decade, we were the first company to achieve 100% renewable energy. By 2030, we want to be the first major company to operate without carbon,” the company announced in a press release in 2020.
With these many climate efforts, Google is following a trend among tech giants, who are increasingly aware of the impact they have on the planet. Apple, for example, has set itself the goal of being completely carbon neutral.
The Cupertino company has already achieved its goals with regard to its facilities. But now, it must also make the production of its devices, as well as the entire supply chain, carbon neutral.
