Porsche has revitalized its ROADS driving app, giving it the ability to create scenic drives using artificial intelligence.
Perhaps more than the fans of any other brand, Porsche enthusiasts love driving their cars. The iconic German brand has a history of creating fun and engaging vehicles that compel you to drive them and make you feel like part of a community when you do. In this same pursuit, Porsche launched its ROADS app back in 2019. But with a recent software update giving the app AI assistance, it has doubled down on its mission to get people to enjoy their drives.
The ROADS app started as a relatively simple premise. No matter your vehicle or brand of choice, you could log in to the app, track your favorite drives, and share them with a global community. Other users could then use Porsche ROADS to direct them along the same route. But now, the app has gone further by suggesting routes using artificial intelligence.
“The centerpiece of the new ROADS app is the generator for scenic routes,” says Robert Ader, Chief Marketing Officer at Porsche AG. “It allows driving fans to find their own individual dream route with just a few clicks. AI works out a suitable route based on various parameters such as the curves of the road, the topography, landscape features, or exciting points of interest. From their starting point, the user can plan a circuit route or navigate to a specific destination – no matter where in the world they are.”
Compared to a traditional route planning app, Porsche’s ROADS will not get you there quickly, directly, or avoiding tolls, but it will get you there with a smile on your face.
After hearing so much praise for the new app online, I had to try it myself. When you start the app, it asks you two basic questions; how long do you want to go, and in what direction do you wish to travel? From there, it showed me a series of options where I could help the AI find the best route for me.
Looking at the community section, I was surprised, considering the modest 180,000 users that use the app, that numerous routes were already created around me, taking me to some of my favorite local parks and through some of the most beautiful landscapes in my area.
Tesla owners are a prime example of the passion for driving persisting in the electric vehicle age. With Porsche’s new app, the German automaker is showing that it is aiming to support that passion as it electrifies as well. And with more and more exciting EVs coming from the automaker, the electric future remains an exciting one.
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