Netflix and charge? Google Cast support coming to EVs

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Rivian EVs will be the first to offer Google Cast support for when you're charging your vehicle

Watching google cast of NBA app on Rivian R1S infotainment screen
(Image credit: Future)

With electric vehicles, the waiting can be the hardest part — as in the time you spend waiting for your EV to power up at a charging station. Google thinks that time could be spent catching up on your streaming, particularly if you've got an EV with a nice big display on its control panel.

To that end, as part of the Android updates announced during Google I/O, Google said it plans to bring Google Cast to cars with Android Automotive OS in the coming months. First up will be Rivian, whose offerings include an electric SUV and pick-up truck. Google says more car makers will add support in the future.

And make no mistake — this feature is designed specifically for when your vehicle is parked. If we had tried to rev up that Rivian R1S and drive off — not an easy thing to do when you're parked in the middle of a crowded developer conference — the casting would have come to a stop. So put away those dreams of casting YouTube on your EV's infotainment screen as you cruise at 70 mph.

In my demo, the Android device was connected to the Rivian's hotspot, which is over LTE, as it is with most EVs. Whether a feature like this persuades car makers to consider 5G for better streaming remains to be seen.

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Philip Michaels
Philip Michaels

Philip Michaels is a Managing Editor at Tom's Guide. He's been covering personal technology since 1999 and was in the building when Steve Jobs showed off the iPhone for the first time. He's been evaluating smartphones since that first iPhone debuted in 2007, and he's been following phone carriers and smartphone plans since 2015. He has strong opinions about Apple, the Oakland Athletics, old movies and proper butchery techniques. Follow him at @PhilipMichaels.