Case Study: Trask Delivered Škoda Auto’s First AI-Powered Route Planner, Designed for Rollout Across More Than 30 Markets
Škoda Auto set out to introduce its first AI-powered trip planning capability into its MyŠkoda mobile app ecosystem. Within a highly challenging timeframe, Trask delivered Laura Route Planner Agent, an MVP solution combining route planning, charging stops, and personalized points of interest (POI) in a single experience.
The solution now supports around 4,000 route plans every day, proving its practical value while creating a foundation for further multilingual rollout across more than 30 markets.
Key outcomes for Škoda Auto
- Around 4,000 routes planned every day through Laura Route Planner Agent
- Available to 1 million users worldwide via the MyŠkoda app
- More than 20 languages supported for AI-powered conversation and natural route planning
- Designed for rollout across more than 30 markets in Europe and Great Britain
- First AI-powered trip planning capability for the MyŠkoda app, integrating routing, charging stops, and POI recommendations into one experience
- MVP delivered within a highly compressed timeline, creating a strong foundation for future development
About Škoda Auto
Škoda Auto is a major European car manufacturer headquartered in the Czech Republic and a long-standing member of the Volkswagen Group. The company serves customers in almost 100 markets and employs around 35,000 people worldwide.
Challenge: AI-powered trip planning without disrupting the existing routing experience
Škoda Auto wanted to introduce AI-powered trip planning into the MyŠkoda mobile app without affecting the existing routing experience.
The solution had to understand free-form natural language input, interpret user intent, validate route details, and return the fastest route while taking vehicle range into account and adding charging stops where needed.
At the same time, it needed to recommend relevant points of interest based on user prompts, explain the reasoning behind both route and POI recommendations, and support natural interaction across multiple languages, all within a very short delivery timeline.
Solution: Turn natural language input into a smarter route planning experience
Trask delivered the first functional version of Laura Route Planner Agent as an AI-powered route planning solution for the MyŠkoda app. The solution combines Google Maps and Google Places data with internal systems to help users plan trips more naturally using free-form text input.
Users can enter route requests directly into the search bar in the Maps tab or paste travel details in natural language. Laura then interprets the request and returns an appropriate route suggestion, including charging stops and relevant points of interest.
The solution was designed for multilingual interaction and international rollout, making it ready for different markets, languages, and user contexts.
Key capabilities of the AI-powered Laura Route Planner Agent
- Natural language route planning via the search bar in the Maps tab
- AI-powered conversation in more than 20 languages
- Fastest route recommendation based on user input
- Charging stops based on vehicle range
- Synchronization with the VW charger network through the CARIAD API
- Personalized POI recommendations based on user prompts
- Explanations for route and POI recommendations
- One route option displayed based on input details
- Natural, friendly, and professional communication with clear boundaries
Technology stack
Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Vertex AI, Gemini, Google Maps and Google Places integration, Google Agent Development Kit (ADK), FastAPI, Google Cloud Run, CARIAD API
Outcome: A live AI route planner supporting around 4,000 routes every day
Despite a highly compressed timeline, a new GCP environment, and a distributed team across India and the Czech Republic, the project successfully delivered the required MVP scope.
The result was not only a functional AI-powered route planning solution, but also a live tool that now plans around 4,000 routes every day and supports AI-based route planning across multiple languages. It gives Škoda Auto a strong foundation for further development within the MyŠkoda mobile app.
Client quote
In collaboration with Trask, we introduced the first AI-powered trip planning feature into the MyŠkoda app. The solution was delivered within a limited number of sprints, overcoming significant technical and delivery challenges, and ultimately proved to work reliably while creating tangible value for users and a solid foundation for further expansion.
— Hana Vavrušková, Area Product Owner, Škoda Auto
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