Any owner of an electric vehicle can tell you that charging is not the same as filling up with gasoline The worry is actually finding a compatible charger, especially if you are in a strange place or in the middle of a long drive But Waze can now help with that

Waze has partnered with Volkswagen to map EV charging stations across the US Surprisingly, this was not previously available, even though sister app Google Maps offers this option starting in 2019

Waze users will also be able to change their icon to VW's ID4 EV if they really want to

Previously, Waze only allowed drivers to locate gas stations and add stops, which is still the case outside the US Now EV owners have the same convenience, and can navigate and charge from a single app, eliminating the need for third-party services like PlugShare and Chargemap

This feature is not yet live to all, so expect it to roll out over the course of the week It is also not entirely clear how Waze will allow users to search for EV chargers Ultimately, it is the different speeds and connectors that we need to worry about You don't want to approach a charger and find it is too slow or doesn't fit your car

Perhaps Waze's new feature will be similar to the way Google Maps works However, it does not show details such as the number of plugs or maximum charging speed unless you click on the relevant map icon

The partnership with VW, which owns Electrify America, means that Waze will not just rely on crowdsourcing data Crowdsourcing is good, but when it comes to fueling, it is important that location and operational status is always up to date This is even more so given the small number of EV chargers compared to gas stations

Still, this is a big move as electric vehicles become more popular; EV owners likely already have plenty of extra apps needed to use the various charging networks Therefore, being able to find them without having to use a completely separate app would be a big help