Two products with different jobs. A Better Routeplanner is a dedicated route planner — its job is deciding where you stop and for how long; Google Maps is a general-purpose maps app that has grown EV routing.
Updated 2 min read
Kerbside posts like this one in Stuttgart are the backbone of city charging. Julian Herzog (Website) · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Where they differ
Capability
ABRP
Google Maps
Models the charging curve
● Yes
◐ Partly
Adjusts for weather and temperature
◐ Partly
● Yes
Accounts for elevation
– Unverified
● Yes
Turn-by-turn navigation
◐ Partly
● Yes
Where they agree
On the remaining 10 capabilities these two are recorded the same way. Rows where both are unverified are agreement about our own ignorance rather than about the products.
Which to choose
Choose A Better Routeplanner if you need charging-time estimates that hold up. Choose Google Maps if you need cold-weather range modelling, routing that knows the road climbs and turn-by-turn navigation rather than a hand-off. Price and platform decide the rest, and both are in the table on each product’s own page.
Or both
Most people end up with two of these — a router and either a payment card or the car’s own navigation for the last leg, which is the only thing that reliably preconditions the battery. Using one tool for everything is a preference, not a requirement.
