Google Built-In Sets Apart The XC40 Recharge Pure Electric Experience
Like it or not, one of the few remaining obstacles for electric vehicle (EV) adoption is driving range anxiety. How far can my EV battery go in terms of kilometers.
Even with over 400km of maximum driving range, there still exists many scenarios where an EV can leave you stranded.
Meanwhile, until fast charging is as widely available as petrol, this obstacle is going nowhere. However, that does not mean there aren’t good stop-gap solutions that car companies can use in the meantime.
Interestingly, one of those effective solutions is ‘Google integration’ into the EV’s system and that is exactly what Volvo Cars did with the XC40 Recharge Pure Electric. This we experienced when we test drove the XC40 EV a few months ago.
Volvo Car Group was the first company to team up with Google on the integration of an Android Automotive infotainment system with the Google Assistant, Google Maps and more built-in. This integration goes way beyond what Android Auto can provide, especially for electric vehicles.
Think about this, Google Maps has real time traffic data collected from its many users. It can give you a very accurate idea of how bad traffic is, how fast you’ll be able to drive, and possibly more detailed route details.
Google Maps also tracks traffic trends, so it more or less knows what traffic is typically like on a certain route on a specific day and and at a specific time.
The Volvo XC40 Recharge Pure Electric’s actual battery information is then added to the equation within the Android system. With all of that data, Google Maps through the XC40’s infotainment system can predict what remaining battery percentage you’ll have when you arrive with high accuracy.
What’s more, it can even give you a rough idea of how much battery you’ll have when you return to your starting location. Thanks to this system, you can know with relative certainty if you can complete your journey with some juice in your ‘tank’.
As if that wasn’t enough, Google integration goes one step further where it can suggest and guide you to the nearest charging station. The best part is that nothing about this experience is static – the Android Automotive system is built for Over-The-Air updates and Google Maps is always updating itself with the latest traffic information.
Pair that with the industry-leading Google Assistant and the Google Play Store, what you have is the best of the smartphone world in a safe and well adapted form for cars.
