Waze has developed this feature in partnership with Volkswagen, which owns Electrify America EV charging network. However, Waze will also likely show charging stations from other databases. Meanwhile, the company is celebrating this partnership by allowing users to change their in-app car avatar to the Volkswagen ID.4 EV. This option is available when you tap on a charging site for more details. It’s unclear how long this option will exist. “This is an incredibly exciting moment for Waze as Volkswagen brings EV charging stations to our map for the first time ahead of a very busy holiday travel period,” said Jeffrey Kohl, Head of Industry, Waze. “Volkswagen is helping to shape what EV looks like on the Waze map and we’re looking forward to highlighting the breadth of EV stations available across the US, especially as more automotive brands move towards an electric future.”
Waze adds EV charging stations
While EV ownership is growing steadily, battery-powered cars still make up a relatively small portion of vehicles on the road. This means EV refueling stations, i.e. charging stations, aren’t as ubiquitous as gas stations. This makes it difficult for drivers to quickly find a site when they need a top-up. Thankfully, apps like Waze are here to help you with that. Well, Waze is relatively late to this scene. Its sister app Google Maps started showing nearby EV charging stations way back in 2019. You’ll also find several third-party apps solely designed for this purpose, such as ChargePoint, PlugShare, and Chargemap. Nonetheless, if Waze is your go-to turn-by-turn navigation app, you can count on it to help you locate charging stations for your EV. This means you can now get away with one less app on your phone. At least in the US. It’s unclear whether Waze plans to bring this feature to other countries anytime soon. We will keep you posted.
