Android Auto, Google's well-celebrated platform designed to mirror features from an Android device to a car's compatible in-car entertainment head, is ramping up its functionalities to cater to electric vehicles (EVs) more proactively. The latest additions to the platform aim to make navigation, charging and usability more straightforward for EV owners who use Android Auto for their infotainment needs.
Over the course of several updates, Google has been discreetly introducing features targeted at the burgeoning domain of EVs. When combined with the Android Auto interface, these complementary features are expected to enhance the EV driving experience significantly.
One such feature includes the option to manually identify the vehicle as an electric one and activate EV-specific features on Google Maps present within the Android Auto ecosystem. These settings and features can be found in a new segment titled 'EV Settings' within the built-in Android Auto settings menu.
This update also provides users with the liberty to select their vehicle's charging connector type. The options put forth include J1772, CCS (Combo 1 and 2), Type 2, and CHAdeMO. Surprisingly, the update does not mention the North American Charging Standard (NACS), a standard backed by Tesla and increasingly adopted by new EVs to be sold in the U.S. However, there is a high probability that it'll be incorporated in future updates.
The introduction of these EV-focused attributes began with Android Auto 9.5, and now with the Android Auto 9.9 update, these features are finally coming to fruition. Post the latest update, SmartDroid users witnessed these novel settings in action, although demonstrated in German.
Despite the advancements, Android Auto's accessibility on popular EV brands is still lower than desired. Brands like Tesla and Rivian have consciously decided not to include Android Auto or CarPlay in their models, while others like Polestar have opted for Android Automotive as a native operating system. Nevertheless, for other EV brands like Kia, Nissan, Ford, to name a few, this update is promising news and we eagerly anticipate its wider adoption.
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