Factory in-car navigation for PHEVs and EVs has improved massively in the last five years. A car like the Ford F-150 Lightning or Mercedes EQS will take your car's battery into account when planning a route for you, offering charging solutions along the way, supposing you don't have the juice to make it in one go.

However, if you're committed to using Google Maps via Android Auto, Carplay, or just your phone, there hasn't really been a solution for that. That will soon change. Google will expand routing options to be specifically tailored to EVs, PHEVS, and hybrids.

9To5Google found the pieces laying around in what is known as "APK files." These are little tidbits of data inside Android phones that contain various bits of code. To put an automotive lean on this, you can think of APK files like spy shots. They're often teasers of undeveloped products that may be coming to market soon.

And that is where these tidbits of data were found. Last year, Google began optimizing Maps routes for fuel efficiency. It would take into account factors like traffic, hills, and others to get you to your destination as efficiently as possible. These new APK files contain preparations to specify what kind of engine is in the car you're driving. The selection contains options for gas, diesel, electric, and hybrid cars.

Purportedly, that will be used to "tailor" your navigation experience to find out what route will be saving you the most gas or kilowatts. There also appears to be an option to switch engine types on the fly. As automaker's nav units have caught up to Apple Carplay and Android Auto, it appears that both brands have to play a little bit of catch-up. That's now especially true for Apple, which will need to respond now that both Google and OEMs have a way for their apps to calculate your energy usage and adjust routes accordingly.

Optimizing each software to function better with larger infotainment screens, as well as the routing option discussed here, will be key in keeping the in-car infotainment market competitive. Let's just hope we don't get another VW infotainment fumble out of it this time.