Google is adding several new sustainability features for Search, the company announced today at its Search On event. The search giant will start showing the annual fuel cost for cars in search results to help people who are in the market for a new car. Google will also show emissions estimates for cars, so you can get a better understanding of how a particular car model you’re interested in compares to similar ones. These new features are going to roll out over the next few days, Google says.
If you’re in the market for an electric vehicle, Google will soon show estimated costs, range and charging speeds for different EVs. You will also be able to quickly find public charging stations nearby that are compatible with the specific EV you are looking to buy, which should make your purchasing decision a bit easier. Users in the United States will also soon see available federal tax incentives on Search when looking to make the switch to an EV.
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In addition, Google is going to start highlighting which products are pre-owned in search results. Later this year, there will be a new “pre-owned” label that will be displayed next to shopping items that are second-hand. The company says this feature is designed to make it easier for users to make sustainability choices and possibly even save some money.
The search giant is also adding ingredient-level emissions information when you search for recipes. Soon, when you search for certain recipes like “bean recipes” or “broccoli chicken,” you can see how one ingredient compares to others. For example, you can compare the average greenhouse gas impact for beef versus lamb. The information that is displayed is sourced from the United Nations, Google says. The feature will soon be available worldwide to English language users.
Google says search interest in terms like “electric vehicles,” “solar energy” and “thrift stores” reached new highs globally over the past year, which indicates that people are looking for ways to practice sustainability. The new features revealed today aim to give users new ways to be more sustainable.
The announcement comes as Google has been adding new tools to help users choose more sustainable options. Last week, the company announced that it’s adding a handful of new features that allow travelers to better filter their searches to make sustainable choices when booking flights or hotels as well as improved options for trains. With this expansion, users will be able to directly filter their flight and hotel searches to remove non-sustainable options from their search results entirely.
