Apple to Bring 30,000 Electric Vehicle Station Location Markers and More to ‘Maps’

ChargePoint, a company running a large network of EV charging stations, announced its addition to Apple Maps on Thursday.

The new partnership with Apple will bring location data for over 30,000 EV charging stations to Maps. The stations will pop up as badges in Apple’s proprietary navigation app, and additional information such as hours, pricing and directions to the EV charger will also be available, the company announced.

Additionally, if you don’t want to look down at your phone while driving, you can ask Siri where the closest charging station is. To further streamline the process, the badges include quick links to the ChargePoint app — which will let you easily pay for charging via variety of methods, including Apple Pay, TechCrunch reported.

This isn’t the first EV charger network that Apple has partnered with. Cupertino added Parkopedia’s network of stations to Apple Maps earlier this year, according to AppleInsider. The ChargePoint partnership is significant, however, because the company claims to be the largest EV charging station network in the world.

While a small update, the ChargePoint seems to be just another piece of a larger movement by tech companies to expand into the electric vehicle market. Silicon Valley giants like Google and Apple are reportedly working on their own self-driving EV projects, alongside traditional motor companies like Ford and Chrysler and innovators like Tesla Motors.

Additionally, information on EV charger locations could help consumers deal with their “range anxiety” — a somewhat baseless fear that could be snarling adoption of the more eco-friendly alternative to petroleum-based vehicles. According to an MIT study, 87 percent of the daily driving done by Americans could easily be replaced by electric vehicles — even if there wasn’t an opportunity to charge their batteries once a day, the Washington Post reported.

At the very least, the additional 30,000 EV stations in Maps might help put your mind at ease the next time you take a road trip in your electric car.

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