Mapping Company HERE Technologies Adds AccuWeather to its Maps, EV Drivers Can Now Better Estimate Range Based on Weather Data

author: FutureCar Staff    

Netherlands-based HERE Technologies, a leading location data and mapping company, today announced that AccuWeather has joined its HERE Marketplace and will offer its weather-related information on Here's open mapping platform. 

The company's HERE Marketplace is a secure and scalable platform for enabling the exchange of location-based data from the company's maps. Customers can add various location-based data provided by HERE and third parties like AccuWeather to customize their maps.

Among the hundreds of Marketplace offerings that can be added to HERE's maps are EV charging locations, live traffic, as well as road data from "HERE Lanes" that supports advanced driver assist systems (ADAS). HERE Lanes uses location to enhance a car's sensors. It can help the vehicle find and stay in the correct lane and provides the driver with detailed lane-level visual guidance in areas that are sometimes tricky to navigate.

All of HERE's location-based data is anonymized to protect privacy.

AccuWeather is recognized as the most accurate source of weather forecasts and warnings in the world. The company serves more than 1.5 billion people daily, including more than half of Fortune 500 companies and thousands of businesses around the world.

"We are excited to announce that AccuWeather brings to the Marketplace their historical, current and forecast weather conditions, which allows customers to leverage this data in their solutions or combine it with other rich content available on the Marketplace from HERE and third parties to build compelling geospatial solutions," said Sanjiv Ghate, Vice President and Head of Marketplace at HERE Technologies.

Weather can have an adverse effect on an electric vehicle's range, such as extreme hot or cold temperatures. If a driver of an electric vehicle is navigating with HERE's maps, the additional weather data combined with real-time location data can be valuable for trip planning.

For example, combining temperature predictions along a route enables drivers of electric vehicles to make more informed decisions about how far to travel with their current state of charge, as well as plan when and where to recharge during a trip in-progress. 

If a trip includes traveling through an extremely cold region, the EV driver could expect that their range may not be as high as anticipated, which may require an additional stop for recharging. With weather information provided by AccuWeather available on HERE's maps for navigation, a driver can make better informed decisions before heading out.

"We are attracted to the HERE Marketplace for its ability to enable consumers to find data that is meaningful to them through a secure, anonymized, and transparent manner," said David Mitchell, AccuWeather VP of Digital Media and Emerging Platforms.

HERE Technologies builds data-rich maps for navigation.

The AccuWeather information is also valuable to fleet operators, such as long-haul freight delivery. For example, understanding wind gust patterns on open stretches of interstate highways might help fleet managers and truck drivers know which portions of their route could possibly overturn their vehicles and negatively impact cargo loads.

Threats of severe weather also enable truck drivers to select the optimal route to their destination, ultimately improving ETAs.

For micro mobility providers, such as shared electric scooter and ebikes, having access to detailed weather information, including current and future radar, precipitation forecasts in near-real time along a route lets riders who might otherwise be exposed to the elements a chance to take cover or reroute.

For first responders, the availability of AccuWeather's services can help determine the strength, speed and direction of wind currents and inform firefighters where fires could spread.

HERE Technologies was previously owned by Nokia. The company was sold in 2015 for nearly $3 billion to German automakers Audi, BMW and Daimler. The company is also playing an important role in the development of autonomous driving technology, including data-rich HD maps with centimeter level accuracy that are used by self-driving cars for navigation.

In June 2019, HERE announced a similar partnership with Total Traffic & Weather Network (TTWN), the largest provider of traffic, weather, news and sports reports. The partnership offers drivers another way to avoid traffic, by incorporating precise real-time traffic information from TTWN in location services provided by HERE.

FutureCar Staff