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Our 2023 Environmental Report

Aerial image of the the water and the coastline

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Google uses a high-quality ML prediction model to estimate the expected fuel or energy consumption for each route option when users request driving directions. We identify the route that we predict will consume the least amount of fuel or energy. If this route is not already the fastest one and it offers meaningful energy and fuel savings with only a small increase in driving time, we recommend it to the user. To calculate enabled emissions reductions, we tally the fuel usage from the chosen fuel-efficient routes and subtract it from the predicted fuel consumption that would have occurred on the fastest route without eco-friendly routing and apply adjustments for factors such as: CO2e factors, fleet factors, well-to-wheels factors, and powertrain mismatch factors. We then input the estimated prevented emissions into the EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator to calculate equivalent cars off the road for a year. The 2022 figure covers estimated emissions prevented after eco-friendly routing was launched, from October 2021 through December 2022. Enabled emissions reductions estimates include inherent uncertainty due to factors that include the lack of primary data and precise information about real-world actions and their effects. These factors contribute to a range of possible outcomes, within which we report a central value.

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This estimated spend is based on contracts signed to purchase clean energy for our operations. Actual spend may vary from these estimates based on changes in renewable electricity output from operational projects, the number of contracts signed, and energy market prices.


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