Common wisdom says that you should rent a car for super long trips and leave your EV at home. But let’s be real, you love your electric car and want to take it across the country, even if that means hunting for charging stations. Thankfully, Waze is adding EV charging station support to its app just in time for the holidays.

Beginning today, Waze will show EV charging stations on its map in the United States. This feature was developed in collaboration with Volkswagen, owner of Electrify America and one of the few automakers that’s heavily invested in practical EV infrastructure (as opposed to giant battery or magnet plants).

I’m not entirely sure why Waze had to work with VW on this feature—Waze is owned by Google, and Google Maps has supported EV charging stations since 2019. Perhaps this is an example of how Google differentiates its two navigation apps; Google Maps is a detailed, all-in-one navigation tool, while Waze appeals to drivers (particularly professional drivers) who want to see alerts for road hazards, cops, and rest stops.

Anyway, here’s a statement from Waze Head of Industry Jeffrey Kohl, courtesy of 9to5Google:

This is an incredibly exciting moment for Waze as Volkswagen brings electric vehicle (EV) charging stations to our map for the first time ahead of a very busy holiday travel period. 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.

In addition to charging station support, Waze now features a Volkswagen ID.4 EV car icon that shows up on your map as you drive. To enable the icon, go to Settings, press Map Display, and choose Car Icon. (You can also tell Waze if you drive an EV in the Vehicle Details settings.)

Again, I have to point out that Google Maps added EV charging stations to its app in 2019. Google Map’s EV features are just a bit more robust than what Waze has to offer at this time, which is a bit odd, considering that both apps are owned by Google.

Source: Waze via 9to5Google