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Where to refuel CNG? innogy will direct you thanks to Google Maps API

By June 10, 2020February 3rd, 2022Blog

Innogy is Czech leader among natural gas suppliers for households and businesses. It supplies 1.7 million domestic customers with gas and electricity. At this moment, innogy is among the biggest players on the market with CNG (compressed natural gas) – it operates almost one third of all 200 public gas stations, where drivers can fill their tanks. Google Maps services have been used in cooperation with Globema for several years already and thanks to it, innogy can support their CNG customers with first-class service.

Challenges

Alternative and ecological CNG drive is gaining more and more popularity in Czechia. Number of CNG powered cars is increasing every year by more than 20 %. Also, innogy has been investing massively in own CNG gas stations network development over last years. It is important for innogy to inform drivers quickly and in understandable way, where they can buy CNG and for what price.

Solution

To answer question “Where to buy CNG”, innogy decided to implement interactive map of all gas stations on their website CNG.cz. In addition to Google Map with gas stations locations, the website offers several useful tips and features based on Google Maps Platform – the most innovative map platform in the world, which offers global coverage, easy API services implementation into web pages and mobile apps. Except the web page innogy supports drivers with mobile app – CNG gas station navigation.

  • Display of CNG gas stations in dynamic interactive map
    • Usage of own icons corresponds with graphics of whole website
    • Icons clustering provides good map clarity
    • Stations detail provides important information about the station, including actual price
  • CNG stations search
    • Search of the closest CNG station based on actual or filled in location
    • Filter according to opening hours or payment options
    • Favorite station feature
  • Route planning to given station feature
  • Route planning with CNG
    • With starting and destination point, the route planner provides the list of all CNG stations on the route, plus information about eventual detour from planned route
    • It is possible to add CNG station as waypoint to planned route
    • Route description display feature
  • Nationwide innogy network enables drivers to refuel at more than 60 CNG gas stations.
  • According to Czech Gas Association data, more than 24 000 CNG vehicles drive in Czechia, from which there are 1 400 buses.
  • Drivers purchase over 1 million kilograms of CNG each month at innogy stations.
During development and implementation process, we highly valued operative technical support from Globema. We were kindly surprised by the number of features, documentation clarity also by simple implementation of Google Maps API.
Tereza Netopilová, IT Specialist at innogy Česká republika a.s.