Fastned, the company that owns one of the biggest EV charging stations in Europe, released an update for its Android app to enable Android Auto support, allowing drivers to get essential information without picking up their smartphones.
The firm says it has over 1,500 charging stations on the Old Continent, with an increased presence in the Netherlands. Its mobile apps are available on iPhone and Android, offering features like showing the nearby charging stations, navigating to their location, seeing the availability of each stall, and starting charging from the mobile device.
The Android Auto app brings essential features to the infotainment screen, so users can search for Fastned stations, check the availability and the kWh pricing, and get directions to navigate to a chosen location.
The application offers Google Maps and Waze integration, so once the driver chooses a charging station to navigate to, one of these two apps will provide turn-by-turn guidance. Google Maps and Waze are the most popular navigation solutions on Android Auto, with the latter relying on crowdsourcing data to show the location of traffic incidents like accidents, traffic jams, speed traps, and broken traffic lights.
Photo: Fastned
Fastned launched support for CarPlay earlier this year, bringing a similar feature to Apple users connecting their iPhones to compatible head units in their cars.
The Android Auto app ecosystem keeps growing, especially as Google unlocks new categories, allowing developers to update their software with an in-car experience. The IoT app support opened the door for new solutions, including smart garage door openers and OBD2 integration that allows drivers to import vehicle data from a compatible adapter.
Meanwhile, Google also insists on Android Automotive, its full operating system capable of powering all infotainment capabilities in a car. Android Automotive is the upgraded version of Android Auto, running at the hardware level without a mobile device. Android Automotive can also allow Android Auto and CarPlay to run on top of it, though some carmakers block these features, sticking with the full experience.
General Motors is the company that embraced this approach, sticking with Android Automotive as the exclusive option in the 2024 Blazer and future EVs. The carmaker doesn't allow users to run Android Auto and CarPlay, promising an upgraded experience behind the wheel thanks to the deeper integration into the vehicle.
The growing app ecosystem on Android Auto makes the strategy more controversial, especially as apps like Fastned specifically target EVs.
If you want to try out the Android Auto integration bundled with Fastned, you only need to update the application to the latest build. Once your latest version lands on your device, you can connect the smartphone to the car and see the Fastned icon in the app drawer.
Bogdan keeps an eye on how technology is taking over the car world. His long-term goals are buying an 18-wheeler because he needs more space for his kid’s toys, and convincing Google and Apple that Android Auto and CarPlay deserve at least as much attention as their phones. Full profile
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