Google announced some new Google Maps updates for users in Europe. These features are meant to help them get around more sustainably and reduce emissions in cities, according to the search giant.
For starters, Google is expanding its AI-powered feature that predicts when walking or taking transit will take roughly the same amount of time as driving. Currently available in 60 cities, the feature recommends walking or transit routes and has helped avoid tens of millions of car trips. It will soon launch in Copenhagen, Stockholm, Warsaw, and other cities.
Speaking of car trips, Google displays helpful alerts when a car enters an area designated as a low-emission or low-traffic zone in supported cities, such as London and Berlin. It informs users whether their vehicle is permitted in these zones, and they should select an alternative route if necessary.
The feature will expand to more than 1,000 low-emission and low-traffic zones across Europe in the coming months, including Italy, Sweden, Austria, and other countries.
For those interested in cycling on the roads, Maps will display helpful details about routes in more places. Riders will see bike lanes on their cycling route, as well as other useful information, such as whether there is heavy car traffic or a steep incline ahead.
The feature will expand to 17 new cities, including nine in Europe, which will cover about 125,000 km (77,671 miles) of bike lanes globally. Google has partnered with local governments and public authorities in cities such as Hamburg, Madrid, Barcelona, Milan, Rome, Zurich, Budapest, Vienna, and Brussels to source the data.
Additionally, Google announced that fuel-efficient routing, also known as eco-friendly routing, is now available globally. As the name suggests, it finds the most fuel or energy-efficient route for your trip. The feature was introduced in 2021, starting with the US, and later expanded to over 40 countries across Europe in its first major update in 2022.
On average, about 500 million trips using fuel-efficient routing are taken each month. Google estimated that the feature collectively resulted in "more than 2.7 million metric tons of GHG [greenhouse gas] emissions avoided in 2024 alone," which is equivalent to taking "more than 630,000 gasoline-powered cars off the road for a year."
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