Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Cars
  3. News

Google is bringing Chrome browser to cars, even more EV features to Maps

Andrew Martonik
By
Android Auto interface showing EV charging times.
Google
CES 2024
Read and watch our complete CES coverage here

Google is bringing a great combination of features to Android Auto and cars with Google built-in, particularly for those who drive an EV.

Google Maps is adding more EV-centric features for those who use Android Auto from their connected phone. Starting with the Ford F-150 Lightning and Mach-E, you’ll now see information on expected state of charge on arrival to your destination, as well as charging station locations and expected charging times for longer trips. This is a feature that’s been available for EVs running Google built-in (aka Android Automotive), and in my experience, it’s extremely helpful and helps alleviate charging anxiety. It’s wonderful to see this brought to the much wider-reaching Android Auto version of Maps, and I hope it expands to more cars soon.

Google Chrome browser running on Android Automotive in a car.
Google

If you have a car with a Google built-in infotainment system, there’s even more in store for your in-car experience. Google is bringing a full-blown Chrome browser to cars, which will roll out in beta starting with Polestar and Volvo, so you can browse while you’re parked (or more likely, charging) — something that’s been available for a long time and very popular in Teslas. Google’s also expanding its media offerings with PBS Kids and Crunchyroll, and there’s also a new weather experience from The Weather Channel that includes forecasts, alerts, and radar.

Recommended Videos

Google is also adding a new “send to car” button to the Google Maps app on phones, making it easy to plan out a trip before you leave and have it waiting for you when you get in your car. It’s just yet another feature that makes the Google built-in experience appealing. Google built-in is coming to even more cars soon, with Nissan, Ford and Lincoln launching more models with the software suite in 2024.

Topics
Andrew Martonik
Andrew Martonik
Editor in Chief
Andrew Martonik is the Editor in Chief at Digital Trends, leading a diverse team of authoritative tech journalists.
Could EVs charge wirelessly? Here’s what you need to know
The Tesla range of vehicles connected to four supercharging stations.

You may be familiar with the concept of wireless charging for your phone -- but what if you could wirelessly charge your electric car? Well, it seems like that concept may not be all that far-fetched. In fact, Tesla chief designer Franz von Holzhausen announced in a video with Jay Leno about the Cybertruck that Tesla is working on an inductive charger for the home.

Now, of course, this is Tesla we're talking about. The company noting that it's "working" on something like this could mean that it's coming out this year, coming out in 10 years, or really, coming out never.

Read more
I love my Ioniq, but I would never buy another Hyundai
The author's 2019 Hyundai Ioniq PHEV is pulled over to the side of a dirt road in the woods.

In many ways, my 2019 Hyundai Ioniq PHEV is one of the best purchases I've ever made.

Thanks to its 27-mile EV range, my wife and I can drive it for months on end around town without using any gas. Or we can drop everything and drive 10 hours to San Francisco without range anxiety, getting 45 miles per gallon the whole way. It has heated leather seats, room for a week’s worth of luggage and a 100-pound dog in the back, and Apple CarPlay, a feature I never wanted and now can't live without. The Little Plug-In That Could is the absolute perfect car for us in every regard, except for one little thing.

Read more
5 impressive EVs you’ll wish you could buy in the U.S.
BYD Han

Tesla is the largest electric carmaker in the world when it comes to fully electric cars, and if you live in the U.S., you're used to Tesla being the top dog. But did you know that Tesla isn't quite the top dog globally when it comes to electrified vehicles?

That category includes plug-in hybrids, which Tesla does not make. When you add them in, Tesla falls to second place. The title goes to Chinese automaker BYD -- and it's really not even close.

Read more