Do Tesla Model S Cars Contribute To Google Maps Real Time Traffic Data?

Don't know. But you don't have to be using Google Maps navigation for the phone to track and report your location and other information. Have you checked out your location history on Google? https://maps.google.com/locationhistory

As someone who develops mobile applications and technology driven innovation, I can tell you that the odds of someone using a mobile phone for navigation are much greater than them using a tesla for transportation.

However, I would like to start slicing the street data since ev's have privileges others don't.

I prefer Waze. I know I'm giving them real time data but I get a lot of value out of their data as well.

I think for exactly the reasons you state, it's very likely that we are contributing. I'd imagine that's part of how Tesla got Google to allow them to use Google Maps in the car in the first place. Tesla gets great maps, Google gets a large source of high-fidelity real-time traffic speed data.

Also, even when your Android phone is not navigating, it may still be sharing some amount of location data with Google, which they can use to extrapolate speed over time. It just likely won't be as precise as what they can get from the car.

I've never checked my history before. Scary that Big Brother knows so much. But it's odd. It shows me going somewhere that I have not. As a matter of fact, I haven't been there in several years.

ww73 said:

I prefer Waze. I know I'm giving them real time data but I get a lot of value out of their data as well.

Click to expand...

Google now owns Waze and also uses that data.

I checked my history on Google, and there is none even though I have been doing a lot of driving the past month. I guess this has to do with some sort of information sharing program? I do not like having all this computer stuff nosing about my business--Facebook, Google, and the rest so I do not allow any snooping. Maybe I am just showing my age. My family can follow my whereabouts with the Tesla app, and they are the only ones who need to know.

I suspect Tesla tracks my driving, but presumably they use that data only for good, and not for evil. :scared:

UPDATE: I tested today turning off my location in my Android. When I look at the link above it shows I am still at home today when in fact I am 25 miles away.

Do you have your Location setting enabled? For Android; select Settings, scroll down to "Personal" and look for Location.

If that is turned off that could explain why you do not have any location history stored.

A recent article talked about the traffic density that Google is reporting realtime while you are looking at the Google maps for navigation. Traffic density being reported is not a function of users using the maps application. Traffic is the number of cell phones being detected (and triangulated) by cell phone towers. In that sense, as the Model S is in constant communication with cell towers, it is adding to traffic counts- and does it without snooping the device (or car) itself. Doesn't care who you are, just that you and others are in the vicinity...

1101011 said:

A recent article talked about the traffic density that Google is reporting realtime while you are looking at the Google maps for navigation. Traffic density being reported is not a function of users using the maps application. Traffic is the number of cell phones being detected (and triangulated) by cell phone towers. In that sense, as the Model S is in constant communication with cell towers, it is adding to traffic counts- and does it without snooping the device (or car) itself. Doesn't care who you are, just that you and others are in the vicinity...

Click to expand...

Do you happen to have a link (or more info) for that article? I didn't think cell tower triangulation was precise enough to estimate speed.

jvonbokel said:

Do you happen to have a link (or more info) for that article? I didn't think cell tower triangulation was precise enough to estimate speed.

Click to expand...

The article (I'll have to look for it again) did not relate to speed, but to vehicle density on any given stretch. It's apparently the way the center console navigation overlays the red/yellow/green to the map.

I really doubt they are using tower data for traffic levels. This would require a level of coordination with att, verizon, tmobile, and sprint that is just impractical. Tower triangulation also is really not terrible accurate (eg: how does google know if the traffic is going northbound or southbound). It's far easier to get the data from smartphones.

Could they also get the data from the sensors embedded into the pavement and the ubiquitous roadside cameras that are used by the transportation departments, police and others to assess road usage by time of day/week/year?