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| Google Maps adapts its functions to global warming © Manice |
Last Tuesday, the Mountain View firm unveiled new features for its Google Maps application, including the launch of an option allowing users to choose an environmentally friendly route. For now, the novelty is only available in the United States.
CHOOSE ECOLOGICAL TRIPS ON GOOGLE MAPS
In the United States, the Google Maps app will show users the most sustainable and environmentally friendly route. In other words, the app will help the user choose the route that uses the least fuel.
At the moment, the feature is available in the United States. It will be launched in 2022 in Europe.
According to Google, this new option would prevent the release of more than one million tonnes of CO2 per year, the equivalent of removing more than 200,000 vehicles.
“Climate change is no longer a distant threat – it is more and more local and personal,” said US firm boss Sundar Pichai. “Around the world, forest fires, floods, and other extreme weather events continue to affect our health, our economies, and our future as it does on the planet,” he adds.
“If the greener route is likely to significantly increase travel time, you will have the opportunity to compare the relative carbon impact of the two routes before making your choice,” says Dane Glasgow, vice president in charge. from Google Maps.
To integrate this functionality into Google Maps, the California-based company worked with the National Renewable Energy Lab of the US Department of Energy. In addition, the American giant has based it on several factors such as “the degree of slope of a road or the slowdowns due to traffic jams”, adds Dane Glasgow.
Finally, remember that Google Maps will offer the most environmentally friendly routes in the United States later this year. In a few months, the feature will be available in all corners of the world.
