E-bike maker Cowboy has traded the navigation tool used in its app for Google Maps, which should improve the riding experience for many.

The mapping software included in many e-bike companion apps is often lacking, and Cowboy’s app was no exception. “Improved map navigation was the most requested update within the Cowboy community,” Cowboy Tanguy Goretti co-founder and CTO told me on the sidelines of Micromobility Europe yesterday in amsterdam.

According to Goretti, the app is heavily used by Cowboy owners, 45 percent of whom regularly mount their phones on the integrated wireless charging pad found on the company’s excellent 4 Series e-bikes. With this new integration, riders no longer have to switch between their Cowboy dashboard and the standalone Google Maps app.

The updated app — available for download now – shows features like speed, battery life and calories burned alongside Google’s familiar Maps interface. Goretti says today’s release is just a first step in the Cowboy x Google relationship, with a series of “first features built with Google Maps” to be announced in the fall. And for what it’s worth, Goretti says Cowboy has overcome the initial quality issues of its e-bikes due to supply chain issues caused by the covid pandemic.

Cowboy likes to claim it’s building “the world’s most connected e-bike.” While that’s good marketing, it’s also impossible to measure. Nevertheless, the company has a good track record of providing owners with regular improvements over the air. In March it delivered the latest new feature called AdaptivePower, which aims to help riders overcome wind, hills and heavy loads in a more natural way.