Google Maps and the sustainable travels

According to the latest statistics on our continent, it seems that transport is the main cause of annual carbon dioxide emissions. For this reason, we are increasingly faced with initiatives that leverage climate change, alternative travel and those paths that can bring significant savings on energy consumption, both for the environment and to cope with the economic crisis. Particularly attentive to the situation seems to be the Maps service offered by Google that in the last period, after several tests in other countries, has also been released in Italy called sustainable routes. The app will be able to automatically suggest the greenest routes, that is the least expensive in terms of emissions and fuel consumption. Several factors were taken into account to suggest the route: from the quality of the road to the necessary kilometers to the analysis of traffic conditions and many other aspects that allow a saving for motorists.

A new technology for motorists

The technology made available by Maps for its users is made possible by the combination of data collected in the National Laboratory for Renewable Energy (NREL) of the Department of Energy of the United States and the data of the European Environment Agency. This precise information has been linked to the driving trends of users circumscribed in a specific geographical area, all to make sure that advanced machine learning systems provide specific indications also depending on the car you use. In the app you can choose the type of engine you use for moving and then find the best route with fuel or energy efficiency estimates. The chosen route in fact varies depending on the type of engine power supply: diesel vehicles are more efficient and less polluting at higher speeds while petrol or gas are more efficient in discontinuous traffic or at low speeds.

An evident energy saving

Although this is only a small change, when you consider the billions of users who use Maps on a global scale, in reality sustainable travel makes a big difference. This type of sustainable path is having a strong impact around the world with particular attention to the United States,  Canada and Germany elected as “test” countries for the launch of the feature. From the date of the update until now, it is estimated that these routes have already saved more than half a million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions; it would be the equivalent of eliminating 100 thousand cars from the roads every year. With the same wish of success, the Google team hopes to achieve excellent results in the Old Continent, especially in countries very attentive to emissions like ours. It is hoped that more and more users will opt for the path suggested by Google Maps, marked by the icon of a green leaf, in order to give future generations a less polluted world, starting from small but very important changes.