If you rely on Google Maps for navigation, then you might want to check out Google’s latest updates for the app—the Mountain View recently announced that it’s bringing over new features to Maps, which are designed to enhance navigation and promote more efficient travel via AI and expanded data integration. Furthermore, the new updates will be available to users in Europe, and we’re assuming that this means the UK as well.
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Earlier on, Google introduced a feature last year which uses AI to identify instances where walking or public transit might offer comparable travel times to driving. Currently operational in over 60 cities, the feature will soon be available for users in Copenhagen, Stockholm, and Warsaw in the coming months. For cyclists, Google Maps will soon be able to provide more detailed route information via partnerships with local governments and public data. As such, users in cities including Hamburg, Madrid, Barcelona, Milan, Rome, Zurich, Budapest, Vienna, and Brussels can now view dedicated cycling lanes.
Google adds that it’s working on bringing over this feature to 17 additional cities including nine in Europe, which should cover around 125,000 kilometres of bike lanes worldwide. Maps will also offer a feature that identifies the most fuel or energy-efficient driving routes, even if they are not the fastest option, which will be available worldwide. According to Google, around 500 million trips per month use this feature, with an estimated collective energy saving equivalent to over 2.7 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions avoided in 2024 alone. In other words, this is similar to removing more than 630,000 gasoline-powered cars from the road for one year.
Google Maps also provides alerts for low-emission and low-traffic zones designated in several cities within Europe, a feature that’s also available in locations such as London and Berlin. The alerts work by informing drivers if their vehicle is permitted in these zones, and will then offer alternative routes if needed. Google says that the feature will arrive for over 1,000 low-emission and low-traffic zones across Europe, including areas in Italy, Sweden, and Austria, in the coming months.
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Finally, Google says that it’s assisting cities in reducing congestion and emissions via “Project Green Light”, which uses AI and Maps driving trends to model traffic patterns and suggest improvements to existing traffic light systems. Project Green Light is also available in places like Vilnius, Lithuania, and is now active in 20 cities across 4 continents.
