Imagine you are on a road trip in Ireland, planning a day trip from Athlone to Limerick, a journey of over an hour and a half. To decide how to drive there, you open Google Maps and immediately search for the fastest route.

But what if there were other options: a route that would take nine minutes longer, but save nearly 30% of your expected fuel consumption?

‍

Or your daily car ride to work between Ranst and Antwerp. You take the same route every time, yet you open Google Maps again. You see that there is a second option that is just as fast, but where you could save 16% fuel daily. Fantastic, isn't it?

Eco-friendly routing across Europe

‍

This is now possible thanks to eco-friendly routing in Google Maps, which starts rolling out in nearly 40 countries across Europe. With eco-friendly routing, you can choose a route that’s optimised for lower fuel consumption, which helps you save money on fuel and reduce carbon emissions — something that’s top of mind for many Europeans. And this is a real concern - according to Statista’s 2022 report, road transportation is the largest source of carbon emissions throughout Europe.

Now, in addition to showing the fastest route, Google Maps will also display the one that's most fuel efficient, if it doesn’t happen to also be the fastest. With just a few taps, you can see the relative fuel savings and time difference between the two routes and choose the one that works best for you. Always want to choose the fastest route, no matter what? That’s okay too — simply adjust your preferences in Settings.

Eco-friendly routing is making an impact around the world. Since launching in the U.S. and Canada, it’s already estimated to have helped remove more than half a million metric tons of carbon emissions —equivalent to taking 100,000 fuel-based cars off the road.

‍

Read further: Google around the globe