Android Auto EV Routing: Now on 350+ Cars [2026]

A road test published by InsideEVs on October 19, 2026 is giving drivers and software developers alike a clearer picture of how Android Auto’s EV trip planning actually performs outside a lab. The outlet drove roughly 350 miles from South Brooklyn to Rochester, New York, and let Google Maps inside Android Auto plan every charging stop along the way. The app projected a total trip time of 7 hours and 48 minutes, including charging, according to InsideEVs.

The test matters beyond the novelty of a road trip story. Android Auto’s EV routing leans on the same kind of AI-driven estimation logic that increasingly shows up across Google’s developer stack, from Gemini-powered APIs to Maps Platform routing calls that third-party app makers plug into their own software. For a feature built into the phone almost every Android EV owner already carries, the way it handles battery percentage, charging-connector compatibility, and stop sequencing has real implications for how dedicated EV apps compete going forward.

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What Android Auto’s EV trip planner actually does

Android Auto’s EV routing is not a separate app. It is a function built into Google Maps that surfaces inside the car display once a phone is connected. According to InsideEVs, the setup lives in Google Maps on an Android smartphone under Settings, then Your Vehicle. Drivers enter the make, model, model year, trim, and the vehicle’s compatible charging connector. From there, the system pulls in route data, charger locations, and the car’s range profile to build a plan before the driver leaves the driveway.

Google’s own Android Auto page describes the feature as working “with Gemini” to find tailored chargers along a route and surface station details such as real time availability, a detail that places this squarely in the same AI-assisted software category as the coding and developer tools TrendinTech covers elsewhere, including consumer AI assistants built on large language models. The routing engine is not just looking up static charger maps. It is estimating how a specific vehicle will drain its battery across elevation changes, speed, and weather, then recalculating stops as conditions shift.

Setting up EV routing in Google Maps, step by step

InsideEVs walked through the setup process as part of its test, and the steps are short enough that most drivers can complete them before leaving home:

Open Google Maps on an Android smartphone and go to Settings, then Your Vehicle.
Enter the vehicle’s make, model, model year, and trim.
Select the compatible charging connector: CCS, Tesla-style NACS, CHAdeMO, or J1772.
Connect the phone to the car’s display to activate Android Auto.
Enter the starting battery percentage before beginning a longer trip.
Let Google Maps generate suggested charging stops, an estimated journey time, and a full route based on battery level and range.

That battery percentage step is easy to skip, and InsideEVs flagged it as one of the more important inputs in the whole process. Without an accurate starting charge, the routing engine has to assume a default state, which can throw off every downstream estimate: how far the car can go before the first stop, how long charging needs to take, and whether the total trip time estimate holds up once the drive is underway.

The 350 mile New York test run

The InsideEVs test covered close to 350 miles, running from South Brooklyn up to Rochester, New York, a route that crosses a meaningful chunk of the state and several different charging networks along the way. Google Maps calculated the full trip, door to door, at 7 hours and 48 minutes including charging stops, according to the outlet’s published account. InsideEVs did not disclose the exact vehicle used for the test, nor the precise number, length, or state of charge at each individual charging stop, so those specifics remain unconfirmed outside the headline timing figure.

What is notable is the scale of the route itself. A 350 mile trip is long enough that almost any EV on the market today needs at least one charging stop, which makes it a reasonable stress test for how well an automated planner sequences stops compared with a driver manually checking a charging network’s app at each leg. It is also a shorter cousin to bigger EV road trips automakers themselves have publicized this year. Ford, for instance, has detailed a 2,448 mile Mustang Mach-E run along Route 66 that also relied on Google Maps EV routing to plan charging stops across a route many times longer than the InsideEVs test.

Charging connectors: CCS, NACS, CHAdeMO, and J1772

One reason Android Auto’s routing needs a connector selection up front is that the US charging market is still split across multiple plug standards, even as the industry consolidates around Tesla’s NACS design. Google Maps asks drivers to specify which connector their EV uses so it can filter out incompatible stations before suggesting a stop, rather than routing someone to a charger they cannot physically plug into.

Connector	Common Use Case	Charging Type Supported
CCS (Combined Charging System)	Most non-Tesla EVs sold in North America through recent model years	Level 2 and DC fast charging
NACS (Tesla-style)	Tesla vehicles and a growing number of other automakers adopting the plug	Level 2 and DC fast charging
CHAdeMO	Older EV models, primarily from Japanese automakers	DC fast charging
J1772	Standard Level 2 home and public charging for most EVs	Level 2 charging

Google Maps routes across both Level 2 charging stations and DC fast chargers, according to the reporting reviewed by InsideEVs, which means the planner is weighing not just whether a station is compatible but how quickly it can add usable range during a stop. That distinction matters for a trip timing estimate like the 7 hours and 48 minutes InsideEVs reported, since a DC fast charging stop and a Level 2 stop can differ by an hour or more for the same amount of added range.

Why the AI routing layer matters to software developers

For readers who build software rather than just drive cars, the more interesting story sits underneath the consumer feature. Google has positioned Android Auto’s charging search as working with Gemini, and CNET has reported that the underlying routing algorithm estimates both arrival time and state of charge based on how long it expects a given stop to take. That is, functionally, a prediction model wired into a navigation product, not unlike how AI coding agents estimate which fix will land first or how a routing API in a backend service decides which server to hit next.

Third-party developers have been building similar logic for years through dedicated EV apps, and Google folding a comparable capability directly into Maps changes the competitive math for those tools. A Better Routeplanner, commonly known as ABRP, has long offered trip plans that include charging stops, estimated charging times at each stop, and projected battery levels throughout a drive, a feature set BGR has recommended to EV owners independent of what comes preloaded on their phone. PlugShare, meanwhile, earned its own spotlight from Android Police after a driver credited the app’s charger search inside Android Auto with avoiding a stranded rental car, a scenario that shows how much EV owners still lean on third-party software layered on top of whatever is built into their vehicle or phone.

How Android Auto’s planner compares with dedicated EV apps

None of this makes third-party apps obsolete. It does shift what they need to offer to stay relevant once a free, built-in alternative can plan a multi-stop charging route without the driver installing anything extra.

Tool	Platform	Core Strength	Access Model
Android Auto / Google Maps	Built into Android phones and car displays	Native routing with Gemini-assisted charger search, no extra app install	Free, included with Google Maps
A Better Routeplanner (ABRP)	Dedicated app, cross-platform	Detailed charging time and battery projection per stop	Free app with an optional premium plan
PlugShare	Dedicated app, cross-platform	Crowdsourced charger reviews and real-world availability reports	Free app
Automaker native trip planners	Built into specific vehicle infotainment systems	Deep integration with a single brand’s battery and charging data	Included with the vehicle

The pattern echoes what has already played out in other software categories this year, where a general-purpose assistant folded into an existing platform starts eating into tools that once had to be installed separately. It is the same dynamic covered in comparisons like GitHub Copilot versus Cursor in the AI coding race, where a platform-level feature competes directly with purpose-built standalone products. EV routing apps now face a version of that same pressure from Google Maps.

Market impact: why this lands now

The timing is not incidental. US EV sales have been uneven this year, and buyers consistently cite charging logistics and range anxiety among their top hesitations before switching from a gas vehicle. According to recent sales tracking, US EV sales reached 266,630 units in the third quarter of 2026, trailing the pace set during 2025’s peak. A feature that removes friction from long-distance EV travel, baked directly into a navigation app most drivers already open daily, addresses one of the most commonly cited barriers without requiring a single automaker to build its own software from scratch.

It also lands as automakers keep pushing EV adoption through charging partnerships rather than just new vehicle launches. Charging access has become as much a selling point as the car itself, a theme that shows up in coverage of vehicles like the Honda Super-ONE EV and its smart charging features. Google folding AI-assisted route planning into Android Auto gives every compatible EV, regardless of brand, a baseline charging-trip experience that used to require either a premium trim package or a separate subscription app.

The Android ecosystem angle

Android Auto’s EV routing also reinforces how much Google is leaning on its phone ecosystem to extend features that used to live only in a dedicated vehicle system. That strategy mirrors moves across the rest of Google’s hardware and software lineup this year, including pricing shifts on devices like the Pixel 10 Pro that are meant to keep Android phones as the default hub for a driver’s digital life, from navigation to payments to, increasingly, EV charging logistics.

For Android Auto specifically, 2026 has been a year of incremental but steady expansion. 9to5Google has tracked a string of updates to the platform throughout the year, part of a broader push to make the phone-to-car connection handle more of what used to require separate hardware or software, EV charging routing being one of the more consequential additions given how directly it touches whether a long trip in an electric vehicle goes smoothly or turns into a search for an open charger.

Historical context: from static charger maps to predictive routing

Google Maps has supported basic EV charging station search for years, but early versions amounted to little more than a filtered pin layer, similar to searching for gas stations. What changed over the past few product cycles is the shift from “here is a charger near you” to “here is exactly when you should stop, for how long, and what your battery will read when you arrive.” That shift tracks a broader trend across consumer software, where static information layers get replaced by predictive models that account for real-time conditions rather than fixed assumptions.

The same evolution has played out in software development tooling, where static linters and manual code review gave way to AI agents that predict which changes are likely to break a build before a developer even runs the tests. Readers tracking that parallel shift can see it in coverage of tools like the Gemini API, which developers are increasingly wiring into their own routing, scheduling, and prediction logic well beyond navigation apps.

What is still unconfirmed

Several details from the InsideEVs test remain outside what the outlet has published so far. The exact vehicle model used for the 350 mile run has not been specified in the published account. The number of charging stops, how long the car sat at each one, and the battery percentage at arrival in Rochester also were not broken out in detail beyond the headline 7 hours and 48 minute total. No company executive or Google spokesperson has issued an on-record statement tied directly to this specific test drive. Readers should treat the total trip time as the confirmed figure and the surrounding specifics as still developing.

Competitive pressure on standalone EV apps

The practical question for app developers in this space is retention. PlugShare and ABRP both built loyal user bases by solving a problem Google Maps did not solve well until recently: predicting charging stops with enough precision that drivers trust the plan over their own judgment. Android Police’s account of a stranded rental car driver saved by PlugShare’s real-time charger data inside Android Auto shows that crowdsourced, real-world reporting still has a role Google’s routing algorithm has not fully replicated, since official station data does not always reflect whether a charger is actually working at a given moment.

That gap, between a modeled estimate and real-world charger reliability, is likely where third-party apps keep their relevance even as Google’s native tool handles more of the baseline routing work. It is a similar split to what shows up in AI coding tools, where a built-in assistant handles routine suggestions while specialized tools win on edge cases a general model has not been trained to catch, a dynamic also visible in comparisons like Claude versus ChatGPT versus Gemini for everyday use.

Predictions for the rest of 2026 and beyond

Google will keep expanding the list of supported EV models and trims for Android Auto routing, building on the coverage Digital Trends has already reported this year.
More automakers will lean on Google Maps EV routing as a default rather than building fully custom charging-trip software in-house, mirroring the approach Ford has already taken on long routes like its Route 66 Mustang Mach-E run.
Standalone charging apps such as ABRP and PlugShare will shift their pitch toward real-time reliability data and community reporting rather than basic route math, since that is the piece Google’s model has not fully absorbed.
Expect tighter integration between Gemini-style AI assistants and in-car navigation, extending beyond charging stops into broader trip planning, similar to how AI assistants are expanding into other everyday software categories.
Battery percentage input accuracy will likely become a bigger focus area, possibly through direct vehicle telemetry rather than manual entry, closing the gap InsideEVs flagged during its test.

What this means for drivers planning a trip today

For an EV owner planning a multi-hour trip this week, the practical takeaway from the InsideEVs test is straightforward: set up the vehicle profile in Google Maps before leaving, pick the correct connector type, and enter an accurate starting battery percentage rather than skipping that step. Those three inputs are what separate a trip estimate that holds up, like the 7 hours and 48 minute total InsideEVs reported, from one that drifts once the drive is underway.

It is also worth pairing the built-in planner with a secondary app like PlugShare for real-time charger status on longer trips, at least until Google’s own data matches the reliability of crowdsourced reporting. That combination, a native AI-assisted planner plus a community-driven backup, looks like the practical default for EV road trips heading into 2027.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I set up EV routing in Android Auto?
Open Google Maps on an Android phone, go to Settings, then Your Vehicle, and enter the make, model, model year, trim, and charging connector. The routing then appears automatically through Android Auto once the phone connects to a compatible car display.

Which charging connectors does Google Maps support for EV routing?
Google Maps lets drivers select CCS, Tesla-style NACS, CHAdeMO, or J1772 as their vehicle’s connector, and routes accordingly across Level 2 charging stations and DC fast chargers.

How long did the InsideEVs test trip take?
InsideEVs reported a total journey time of 7 hours and 48 minutes, including charging stops, for a roughly 350 mile drive from South Brooklyn to Rochester, New York.

Do I need to enter my battery percentage before a trip?
Yes. Google Maps asks for the EV’s starting battery percentage before generating suggested charging stops, an estimated journey time, and a full route, and skipping that step can throw off the accuracy of the plan.

Is Android Auto’s EV routing powered by AI?
Google describes the charger search feature as working with Gemini, and CNET has reported that the underlying routing algorithm estimates arrival time and state of charge based on how long each stop is expected to take.

Should I still use apps like PlugShare or ABRP alongside Android Auto?
Many EV owners still pair the built-in Google Maps planner with dedicated apps. PlugShare offers crowdsourced, real-time charger status, and ABRP provides detailed charging time and battery projections, both of which can supplement what Android Auto shows natively.

Does this feature work for every EV model?
Coverage has expanded significantly through 2026, with Digital Trends reporting support across more than 350 EV models from 16 automakers, though exact availability can vary by specific trim and model year.

What vehicle did InsideEVs use for its test?
The outlet’s published account of the South Brooklyn to Rochester test did not specify the exact vehicle make and model used, so that detail remains unconfirmed.

Android Auto EV Route Planning Hits 350+ Models [2026]