Tesla: please use Google Maps for traffic-based navigation

[Chuq]

Their deliberate mass surveillance of everyone is beyond control.

Yet it is that data (phone location) which provides high quality traffic information that we find so useful...

 

[thegruf]

Now see here ... I much MUCH prefer Waze ... although I do sometimes see Google Maps with an incident flag on it which says "Reported by a Waze user" Far more, useful, features than Google Maps IMHO.

Waze may work well in hte US, but in the UK it is much less widely used and as a result less accurate. I can see that other markets could well be in an even worse position.
So, yes to Waze, but only as an option, Google is far more ubiquitous (un)fortunately.

 

[WannabeOwner]

in the UK it is much less widely used

Hadn't considered that, but its not been my experience. I have used Waze on every trip for about a year, and it has consistently predicted my arrival time very accurately, and the only times I've got stopped in stationary (highway) traffic it has both accurately predicted the exact delay time (so must have already known where the "front" of the queue was and recent vehicle crawling-speed) and the delay has never been long enough that going-around-the-problem would have been quicker (even though it might feel like it!). If I set off at peak rush-hour through the nearest town it wants me to take a rat-run rather than the main drag (which it does choose at non-rush-hour times); I don't think I've ever seen a parked up Copper that wasn't pre-announced either. So by my reckoning (well ... in the areas where I drive, perhaps) I would rate it as excellent.

That might not translate to other territories though, or even other parts of the UK perhaps, I grant;

 

[Xenius]

+1 for Waze, +1 for Google. Incidentally for those not aware Google owns Waze.

 

[lklundin]

Yet it is that data (phone location) which provides high quality traffic information that we find so useful...

My concern is that when it is Google that 'helps you for free', then a detailed record of your movements is stored in a database under control of no one along with up to every other aspect of your digital existence (which is of course why Google do it 'for free', you are the product).

And alternatives do exist for Tesla. I would for example not be surprised if Elon Musk uses SpaceX to vertically integrate the entire global telecommunications platform that Tesla Motors rely on into his portfolio of companies, based on this article:

Broadcom Sues SpaceX | Orange County Business Journal

 

[Tstyln]

Tesla does NOT use Navigon, it uses HERE's Automotive SDK for the smaller Dashboard Map when Navigating. HERE is used by most major OEM for Offline maps (BMW, Audi, etc). Tesla seems to be doing the routing differently, on the large screen not sure if they are laying HERE's Routing on a Google map but it is not Google routing for sure.

 

[Snowstorm]

I don't think Google is free, not for Tesla. We often think mistakenly that Google products are free, but that is only if you are the product that they are trying to sell. For example, search or even maps is free to most consumers because they are trying to sell your clicks to advertisers. The moment that you can no longer be a product, say you are using their maps to build a different product or on your internal website, Google charges you a lot, on a per use or per API call basis. Look up enterprise licensing terms and you will see.

I suspect Google will charge Tesla a f-ton of money if they want them to use their routing, unless of course they let Google spam us with ads.

 

[hiroshiy]

Google Maps is not free for business. But even the fee based version doesn't include complete navigation related APIs. It almost works, but not really comparable to other offerings. Different from Google Maps for smartphones.

 

[singleview]

How could our most-advanced-cars-ever manage to use Google maps for the maps appearance, but NOT use Google Maps's outstanding navigation to actually calculate a route and advise traffic?

Or.... perhaps natively integrate Waze into the Tesla map/GPS? That would be so awesome.

Any takers?