A new feature has been added to Google Maps that allows users to search for electric vehicle charging stations that have the right types of plugs for different vehicles.
When you open up Google Maps on your smartphone and search for nearby charging stations, a filter box will appear that lets you search for specific plug types. These include J1772, CCS (Combo 1), Type 2, CCS (Combo 2), CHAdeMO, and Tesla.
Google has been aiming to make life a little bit easier for electric vehicle owners in recent months. Earlier this year, Google Maps was updated with a feature that says whether or not a charging station is currently in use.
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The option to search for charging stations by plug type doesn’t appear to work everywhere. The Verge notes that, while it works in the U.S. and UK, and we also found it to work in Australia on both Android and iOS devices, it couldn’t filter out the chargers by type in Amsterdam.
While it would be nice if all EVs used the same types of plugs, that’s unfortunately not the case. Plug types also differ between countries. In the U.S., most car manufacturers use CCS connectors for DC fast charging but the likes of Nissan and Mitsubishi continue to use CHAdeMO and Tesla has its own proprietary plug.
