Looking for greener trips? Google Maps has got you covered with eco friendly routing

Across the country, Canadians are going green. From recycling or reducing plastic waste, composting, eating organic or buying electric cars, the majority of Canadians are pivoting to a more sustainable way of living. In fact, searches for electric cars in Canada have increased by 75% in the last 5 years and are now at their highest peak. Now, with eco-friendly routing, Google Maps gives you the option to choose either the most fuel-efficient route and if it’s not also the fastest, you can select the fastest route option.

Eco-friendly routing, now available across Canada on Google Maps for Android and iOS, uses AI to analyze carbon emissions of your planned route. Factoring in traffic, road steepness and other variables, Maps can now suggest an itinerary optimized for lower fuel consumption — which also saves you money on gas. With just a few taps, you can see the relative fuel savings and ETA difference between two routes and choose the one that works best for you. Always want to choose the fastest route, no matter what? That’s possible too — simply adjust your preferences in Settings.

We estimate that eco-friendly routing has the potential to prevent over one million tonnes of carbon emissions per year globally — that’s the equivalent of removing over 200,000 cars from the road.

Each eco-friendly trip is an incremental step towards a cumulative positive impact on our planet. This update will help give more options for greener ways to travel. The sustainable routes and modes of travel that are available on Google Maps will help you choose the option that works best for your lifestyle. Learn more about some of our larger sustainability efforts.