JAKARTA – Over the past decade, CarPlay has become a mandatory feature in almost all new car brands and models. Consumers also like it. Apple has even stated that 80% of new car buyers consider CarPlay a determining factor in purchases.
However, for electric cars (EVs), the reality isn’t that sweet. While most EVs support CarPlay, its function is far from optimal especially in terms of navigation and charging. Apple should move faster if it wants to remain relevant in the era of electric vehicles.
The most disappointing thing is: Apple actually already has technology and essential features to support electric cars such as routes that consider battery capacity, charging advice in the middle of the trip, to battery remaining estimation at each stop point. In fact, Apple Maps is already integrated with a real-time charging database, so users can find out the number of chargers available and whether they are being used before arriving at the location.
This feature also supports the preferences of charging networks, which allow users to choose based on membership or personal convenience. When car battery power runs low, CarPlay can automatically suggest the nearest charging station. Everything sounds perfect, right?
Unfortunately, these features are only available in a handful of car models. Since it was first introduced to iOS 15 of 2021, only three models support this feature: Porsche Taycan, Ford F-150 Lightning, and Ford Mustang Mach-E. In fact, millions of other EV vehicles on the market are also compatible with CarPlay.
If Apple is really serious, they can change the experience of CarPlay users on EV drastically by simply expanding this support to more car models. Ideally, the system can read the battery status and live range of the vehicle, then integrate it into Apple Maps. But if automatic integration is too difficult, Apple can at least provide a manual version where users simply enter battery capacity and the percentage of remaining power before starting the journey.
Thus, features such as charging time predictions, optimal stopping point suggestions, and more accurate arrival time estimation can be enjoyed by more users. Currently, without that support, users are forced to use third-party applications such as A Better Route Planner (ABRP) which even requires subscriptions to be used on CarPlay or combine car built-in navigation with Apple Maps simultaneously.
Important Features Still Missing
Even if Apple expands its current support, there are still some important features that are not yet available. One of them is the preconditioning of a battery a feature that warms the battery before arriving at the fast charging station so that the charging process is more efficient and fast. Currently, CarPlay’s routing does not support preconditioning, even though this feature is already available on Google Maps via Android Auto.
In addition, Apple Maps is also left behind in terms of charging station information filtering. There is no price data, and users cannot easily browse the various options of the surrounding chargers with filters such as speed, price, or port availability.
Users also have different preferences in planning routes: there are those who want to stop at the cheapest stations even though they play, some prefer to stop for a while, and some want to get there as soon as possible. Apple Maps doesn’t support this kind of flexibility, which is already offered by competing apps like ABRP.
Apple Maps and CarPlay have great potential to be the best solution for electric car drivers. Unfortunately, currently its use is still limited and lagging behind competitors. If Apple doesn’t step on the gas right away, they could lose a great opportunity in the automotive industry’s transition to electrification.
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