[GrayEagle61]

If anyone has a suggestion for improving the built in navigation software please add it here. I’m hoping VW will read the entries and have some guidance on what we are seeing and what needs tweaking.

In my opinion, the built in ID.4 navigation is good, but there are some quirky instructions that seem to have been created by a faulty algorithm. For example, if I’m following Highway route 4 and come to a left hand curve in the road that also has a right exit the voice instruction tells me to “turn left“. The correct route to my destination is to follow route 4. There is no intersection. I’m not at a split or fork in the road. I’m just continuing on the main highway. It seems many exits are mistakenly interpreted by the software to be a spit in the road that requires a turning instruction. Other navigation software like Apple or WAZE understand that Highway route 4 is not changing and they give no instruction as none is needed. This issue repeats in many other similar situations.

 

[Ramp]

Worst is suggesting gas stations!
And not able to search for Electrify America stations.
Just rip out the built-in navigation and add something like ABRP that takes into account the current SoC.
I can't even look up a place on my phone and then "send to my car" navigation system.

Right now, the navigation is the ID.4's weakest link IMHO.

 

[Enzo589]

Built-in navigation has always been a waste of money for these car companies. Not sure why they continue to try to put them in vehicles and charge for it to be included as well (usually as part of a package). Imo, as EVs slowly increase in popularity, Google and Apple will begin to work on integrating a trip planner specifically for EVs. I believe the actual routing on the built in nav is provided by Garmin?, so those might not be something VW can improve.

 

[ericy]

Built-in navigation has always been a waste of money for these car companies. Not sure why they continue to try to put them in vehicles and charge for it to be included as well (usually as part of a package). Imo, as EVs slowly increase in popularity, Google and Apple will begin to work on integrating a trip planner specifically for EVs. I believe the actual routing on the built in nav is provided by Garmin?, so those might not be something VW can improve.

To do it well, the navi needs to know the SOC and GOM. It might also need to know how many chargers are busy or broken. Then you get complicating factors - the navi has no idea where you might want to stop for dinner. Or you might intend to stay at a hotel with an L2 charger. Or something else - maybe the weather sucks, and you want to pack it in early. With a little effort, you can add some of these details in ABRP.

Just the other day I was at a charging station. I programmed the navi to finish the trek home, and it sort of correctly said that a charging stop was required (I had not yet charged enough to get home). So it added a stop at the very charging station that I was already charging (instead of just stating that further charging was required before I leave).

I sort of forgot about it - when I finished charging, I got on the road, and the thing started hounding me to make a U-turn to go back to the charging station. I would drive past one spot where a U-turn was possible, it would recalculate, and then pick a new spot for a U-turn. Having the thing yap at me about making a U-turn started to get old after a while, so I eventually cancelled the navigation. So at no point did it realize that the charging stop was no longer needed.

 

[EV-Driver]

I might use the onboard Nav if it had dedicated EA charging stations built into the mapping. I agree that having all the major fueling stations is a total waste of time. As it is now, I prefer to use Apple Maps. I like the way CarPlay and my Apple Watch work together so I don't have to listen to the computer tell me when to turn. My watch does it with a chime.

 

[Nai3t]

I read that navigating to charging stations should be coming in 2.3. I also heard that there was a similar addition to the European ID.4s, but I haven't seen anybody talking about this just yet. So maybe, maybe not?

As I understand it, NDS is the supplier of nav data to VW as well as BMW and Mercedes. I don't fully grasp the structure, because an NDS partner (in addition to automakers and electronics manufacturers) is Here Technologies, which evolved from Navteq, which was held by Nokia before their bankruptcy. Like, it's hella complicated!

My point in all that is I don't think the crappy nav is a VW thing, it's an NDS thing, so perhaps going through them directly is a reasonable measure. I noticed some of the very same problems in my i3, which lists Here on the map (not NDS).

That's the beauty of Waze and crowd-sourced data: if it can be organized, there is a wide base of users who are willing to use their local knowledge to make the navigation experience better. I did so myself for a couple of junctions that were driving me nuts, and I see the results of my effort on a regular basis.

 

[Unik42]

Some of the issues are most certainly due to crappy data from Here We Go. I can at least confirm two errors on my route to work. I have sent the errors to Here through their webpage.
I can also confirm that I (in Europe) can choose Ionity (VW branded chargers here). I have 2.3, and I can't remember if this was possible in 2.1, since I never charge at Ionity.

 

[JimmyVW]

The nav is updated separately from the main software, we get regular updates here (21.7 is the latest) think that they still need to start updating the nav in the US

 

[Huey52]

I too think the built-in Nav is "good" and I use its directions often. Mostly just for the novelty of the dash ID light on turns.
I always have it on, just because.

Could it be better? Absolutely. But as I came in with VW-known expectations it's pretty much what I anticipated and good enough for me most of the time. VW AG and Google parted ways at the end of 2020 but here's hoping some similar cellular overlay augmentation returns in the future, as I do miss that prior feature.

But I do like that at least it doesn't battle me too much when I alter course from its prescribed. Germanic systems in my experience really like you to use main highways when available for greater velocity, even at the expense of greater distance.

If anyone has a suggestion for improving the built in navigation software please add it here. I’m hoping VW will read the entries and have some guidance on what we are seeing and what needs tweaking.

In my opinion, the built in ID.4 navigation is good, but there are some quirky instructions that seem to have been created by a faulty algorithm. For example, if I’m following Highway route 4 and come to a left hand curve in the road that also has a right exit the voice instruction tells me to “turn left“. The correct route to my destination is to follow route 4. There is no intersection. I’m not at a split or fork in the road. I’m just continuing on the main highway. It seems many exits are mistakenly interpreted by the software to be a spit in the road that requires a turning instruction. Other navigation software like Apple or WAZE understand that Highway route 4 is not changing and they give no instruction as none is needed. This issue repeats in many other similar situations.

 

[GrayEagle61]

As mentioned by others in this thread, the most compelling reason to keep and develop the built in navigation software is in hopes of eventually having it know where the EA charging stations are and the SoC. If Tesla can plan a route with recharging stops at appropriate intervals than VW should demand the same from their navigation software supplier as well. I’m not a software engineer but I use marine navigation software that accomplishes far more complex tasks and is produced by a small company in the PNW. VW can do this if they make it a requirement.

 

[Huey52]

I use ol' Marine navigation by pre-flight planning, but I do like the audio confirmation backup.

I agree, it's baffling that the integral Nav doesn't better accommodate EA chargers, etc., especially considering historically it did a good job with gas stations. One would think that the requirements setters would have better considered that an EV needs charger routing.

As mentioned by others in this thread, the most compelling reason to keep and develop the built in navigation software is in hopes of eventually having it know where the EA charging stations are and the SoC. If Tesla can plan a route with recharging stops at appropriate intervals than VW should demand the same from their navigation software supplier as well. I’m not a software engineer but I use marine navigation software that accomplishes far more complex tasks and is produced by a small company in the PNW. VW can do this if they make it a requirement.

 

[ericy]

I read that navigating to charging stations should be coming in 2.3. I also heard that there was a similar addition to the European ID.4s, but I haven't seen anybody talking about this just yet. So maybe, maybe not?

As I understand it, NDS is the supplier of nav data to VW as well as BMW and Mercedes. I don't fully grasp the structure, because an NDS partner (in addition to automakers and electronics manufacturers) is Here Technologies, which evolved from Navteq, which was held by Nokia before their bankruptcy. Like, it's hella complicated!

My point in all that is I don't think the crappy nav is a VW thing, it's an NDS thing, so perhaps going through them directly is a reasonable measure. I noticed some of the very same problems in my i3, which lists Here on the map (not NDS).

That's the beauty of Waze and crowd-sourced data: if it can be organized, there is a wide base of users who are willing to use their local knowledge to make the navigation experience better. I did so myself for a couple of junctions that were driving me nuts, and I see the results of my effort on a regular basis.

Part of the problem with the VW navi is just missing POI - chargers that just aren't in the database. You can't expect the car to pick a charger that it doesn't know about. Fortunately this is the sort of thing that doesn't even need to wait for the 2.3 release - the map updates seem to come independent of the software updates.

But there is also a need to be able to tell the navi that you aren't interested in L2 charging along the route. That in theory would be a relatively easy change that would improve usability (assuming of course that the POI data correctly categorizes the chargers).

I have never understood the popularity of Waze. When I am driving, I am paying attention to the road and not fiddling with the phone, so how is all of this crowd-sourced data getting entered?

 

[Nai3t]

Part of the problem with the VW navi is just missing POI - chargers that just aren't in the database. You can't expect the car to pick a charger that it doesn't know about. Fortunately this is the sort of thing that doesn't even need to wait for the 2.3 release - the map updates seem to come independent of the software updates.

But there is also a need to be able to tell the navi that you aren't interested in L2 charging along the route. That in theory would be a relatively easy change that would improve usability (assuming of course that the POI data correctly categorizes the chargers).

I have never understood the popularity of Waze. When I am driving, I am paying attention to the road and not fiddling with the phone, so how is all of this crowd-sourced data getting entered?

It's not, not realtime, anyway.

As a regular use there is a "mark problem on map" button which drops a pin at the location. Later, the user can fill in as little or as much info as needed.

As a map editor (on a PC), I am able to see those dropped pins, and I can review the comments and communicate directly with the user to gather more details. I can also work on my own list of changes.

Editors earn points and graduate to levels. New editors can only work on local streets near where they've traveled in recent days. Top editors have access to entire regions and can edit highways and freeways. Junior editors can work with higher taking editors who might coach and review their work before making it live. An edit usually goes live within a few days

I haven't participated in a long time, mainly I had a few freeway onramps and interchanges I wanted fixed, which took a little doing since I was a noob. I edited for probably year before losing interest. But it's an impressively structured and we'll-run operation with lots of new users to manage, tons of rules and best practices to learn, and a support forum where proposed changes can be discussed by the map editing community.

 

[GrayEagle61]

Since the ID.4 does not have a spare tire, (I'm Ok with that) how about adding "Tire Shops" to the POI list and allow us to select this category for display on the navigation map.

I have been lucky and have not had to use a spare tire for the past 15 years. Yes, I do get nails and stainless screws from the boat yard embedded in my tires, but in each case I had time to get to a Tire Shop and have them fix the flat. With todays modern tires it's rare they go totally flat immediately. Most of the time there is a warning via the TPM or just the feel of driving on a low tire. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to pick out the nearest Tire Shop while on a long road trip and display it on the Navigation map. You would be able to drive straight there thus avoiding the little can of goo and pump that comes with the ID.4. I understand this not a problem when driving your local neighborhood, but its when on a road trip that the POI selection would be most helpful.

 

[JohnS]

If anyone has a suggestion for improving the built in navigation software please add it here. I’m hoping VW will read the entries and have some guidance on what we are seeing and what needs tweaking.

In my opinion, the built in ID.4 navigation is good, but there are some quirky instructions that seem to have been created by a faulty algorithm. For example, if I’m following Highway route 4 and come to a left hand curve in the road that also has a right exit the voice instruction tells me to “turn left“. The correct route to my destination is to follow route 4. There is no intersection. I’m not at a split or fork in the road. I’m just continuing on the main highway. It seems many exits are mistakenly interpreted by the software to be a spit in the road that requires a turning instruction. Other navigation software like Apple or WAZE understand that Highway route 4 is not changing and they give no instruction as none is needed. This issue repeats in many other similar situations.

 

[JohnS]

The nav needs to be able to filter charging stations at least by level if not also by company. On a recent long distance trip it recalculated my charging stops on the fly sending me past the previously chosen level 3 charger to a 7kW level 2 charger where I had to sit for over two hours just to get enough charge to make it to the next level 3. Had it been possible to filter out all but level 3 chargers, my life would have been so much better. This should be a very simple fix by placing a filter in settings. Smart marketing would also allow one to filter for EA chargers as well.

 

[Huey52]

The integral Nav does need improvement. But there are “workarounds” such as the EA App mapping via CarPlay. As you would expect it’s good for navigating to same and when used it makes the actual charging almost Plug & Charge as the vehicle is thereby somewhat preconfigured for same.

The ChargePoint App is good for routing to its L2 EVSE’s, which are common in my area at municipal buildings (Town Hall, etc.).

The nav needs to be able to filter charging stations at least by level if not also by company. On a recent long distance trip it recalculated my charging stops on the fly sending me past the previously chosen level 3 charger to a 7kW level 2 charger where I had to sit for over two hours just to get enough charge to make it to the next level 3. Had it been possible to filter out all but level 3 chargers, my life would have been so much better. This should be a very simple fix by placing a filter in settings. Smart marketing would also allow one to filter for EA chargers as well.

 

[JohnS]

The integral Nav does need improvement. But there are “workarounds” such as the EA App mapping via CarPlay. As you would expect it’s good for navigating to same and when used it makes the actual charging almost Plug & Charge as the vehicle is thereby somewhat preconfigured for same.

The ChargePoint App is good for routing to its L2 EVSE’s, which are common in my area at municipal buildings (Town Hall, etc.).

I like the ability of VW’s native nav app to adjust its choice of charging stations to current conditions while on the road. They just need to allow us to filter out the level 2s. The app knows the level of all its charging stations as well as what company. All we need is a filter in settings. I’m using EA’s app and PlugShare but they don’t connect to the car’s state of charge like VW’s does.