In a major win for electric vehicle drivers, Tesla is opening up its Supercharger network to all non-Tesla electric vehicles. So far, only four brands can be activated at selected stations: Ford, Rivian, General Motors (GM), Polestar. Next up is Volvo on Nov. 18, followed by Nissan and Mercedes, according to the Tesla website. The rest of the major automakers will follow by early 2025.
Keep in mind that this does not cover whole Supercharger Network. Tesla has limited access to some stations, especially in dense regions and stations that don’t have the software or hardware to support other brands. Also, Tesla has said it may raise charging rates for other brands, though you can get the same rates as Tesla drivers if you sign up for a $12.99/month Supercharger membership.
However, drivers have access to around 17,800 Supercharger V3s, the best and most powerful type of charger on the network. Drivers must use an adapter, which costs $225 for GM drivers and $230 for Ford and Polestar. They are currently free for Rivian drivers. Starting in 2025, all brands will build the Tesla-supported NACS port directly into their vehicles, removing the need for an adapter and effectively creating a new industry standard.
Ford adapter to convert charging port from CCS to NACS (Credit: Emily Forlini)
Tesla’s battle for NACS dominance
Tesla has been working to make its internal connector a national standard since November 2022, when it published manufacturing specifications for the port, called it the North American Charging Standard (NACS) and invited other automakers to adopt it.
Tesla argued that its internal connector is smaller, easier to handle and more reliable than the port that all non-Tesla vehicles are currently built with, the Combined Charging System (CCS). Plus, Superchargers make up about a third of the 60,000 public fast chargers in the US, according to the US Department of Energy.
NACS ports are smaller than CCS. (Credit: Tesla)
No brand immediately jumped at the chance to switch to NACS. At CES 2023, Mercedes told PCMag that it would “never adopt” NACS, but after Ford took the plunge, Mercedes and all other automakers followed suit to give their drivers more charging options on the road.
The Society of Automotive Engineers is working to certify Tesla’s NACS port as a national standard under the new name SAE J3400. Other charging companies — such as Blink, ChargePoint and Electrify America — plan to offer CCS and NACS plug-ins at the new stations.
Not so fast: Adapter support, Blocking machines
The move is a big win for Tesla as well as consumers who will no longer have to keep track of the types of charging ports, but there are still a lot of unanswered questions about what this future of driving Superchargers looks like. of electric vehicles.
One of the biggest problems so far has been the limited supply of adapters, which has caused months of delays for Ford and Rivian drivers. When GM announced its access to Supercharger, it highlighted its many suppliers. This may reduce delivery time, but remains to be seen. Polestar says customers who order an adapter can expect it by mid-November or just two weeks after it’s announced, so perhaps supply is growing.
It’s also unclear how much Supercharger access will move the needle on EV adoption. Up to 90% of charging happens at home and Superchargers are public. Apartment dwellers and others who can’t charge at home can benefit more by having more reliable places to power up.
(Credit: Emily Forlini)
Tesla may also need to update older stations to accommodate other brands. For example, the cables running from the Supercharger to the car are too short to reach the ports on non-Teslas. So non-Tesla drivers may have to fiddle with positioning their vehicles in order to reach the Supercharger cord, blocking other charging points.
Connecting the adapter to the tip of the Tesla Supercharger cord. (Credit: Emily Forlini)
Software is also a problem. Many stations “are running different software that’s not based on CCS communications, so newer EVs with CCS can’t use them,” says Matt Teske, CEO of Chargeway, who also notes that some stations have agreements land that require signature from the owner to do. changes in the rental agreement. “A lot of red tape,” he says.
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Instead of overhauling the software and hardware in older stations, Tesla is more likely to open up future Superchargers to other brands from the get-go. These are stations that Ford refers to as “enhanced”, and therefore acceptable for non-Teslas.
List of EV cars with supercharged access now
The full list of electric vehicle manufacturers that have announced the transition to NACS includes Ford, General Motors, Rivian, Volvo, Polestar, Mercedes, Nissan, Honda, Kia, Hyundai, Genesis, BMW, Mini, Rolls-Royce, Toyota, Lexus, Subaru, Lucid, Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche and Stellantis, which owns Dodge, Ram, Jeep, Peugeot, Chrysler, Alfa Romeo and a number of other brands.
However, at this time only Ford, Rivian, GM and Polestar vehicles have access, plus Volvo on November 18. The entire Tesla lineup will also be available, of course. The price and range of the base model are shown below.
Tesla
Tesla Line (Credit: Tesla)
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Tesla Model 3 (PCMag Editors’ Choice): $40,240, 272-mile range
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Tesla Model Y (PCMag Editors’ Choice): $43,990, 279-mile range
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Cybertruck: $79,990, 340 mile range
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Tesla Model S: $88,490, 405 mile range
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Tesla Model X (PCMag Editors’ Choice): $98,490, 348 mile range
Ford
Ford F-150 Lightning (Credit: Emily Forlini)
Rivian
Rivian R1S (Credit: Emily Forlini)
Chevrolet (GM)
Chevy Bolt EUV (Credit: Emily Forlini)
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Chevrolet Bolt EV: Discontinued, $26,500, 259 mile range
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Chevrolet Bolt EUV: Discontinued, $27,800, 247 mile range
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Chevrolet Blazer EV: $47,600, 283 mile range
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Chevrolet Equinox EV: $33,600, 315 mile range
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Chevrolet Silverado EV: $70,000, 393 mile range
Cadillac (GM)
Cadillac Lyriq (Credit: Cadillac)
GMC (GM)
Hummer EV SUV (Credit: GMC)
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Hummer EV Pickup: $96,550, 311 mile range
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Hummer EV SUV: $96,550, 303 mile range
Polestar
2024 Polestar 2 (Credit: Polestar)
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Polestar 2: $48,000, 270 mile range
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Polestar 3: $84,000, 300 mile range
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Polestar 4: $54,900, 300 mile range
List of EVs getting access to superchargers Next
Volvo, Nissan and Mercedes vehicles will have access to the Supercharger next, according to Tesla’s website.
Volvo (November 18)
Volvo C40 Recharge (Credit: Emily Forlini)
Nissan
Nissan Ariya (Credit: Nissan)
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Nissan Ariya: $39,590, 216-mile range (up to 304 miles on top trims). Limited availability.
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Note, the Nissan Leaf has a different port type that is not NACS compatible.
Mercedes
Mercedes EQB SUV (Credit: Mercedes)
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EQB SUV: $53,050, 240-mile range
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EQE Sedan: $74,900, 305 mile range
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EQE SUV: $77,900, range 279 miles
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EQS Sedan: $104,400, 350 mile range
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EQS SUV: $104,400, 305 mile range
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Maybach EQS SUV: $179,900, 280 mile range
List of electric vehicles getting access to superchargers by 2025
Tesla will continue to open its Supercharger network to all other brands until the end of 2024 through an adapter. In 2025, these brands will begin producing vehicles with the NACS port, removing the need for an adapter.
Honda
2024 Honda Prologue (Credit: Honda)
Jaguar
2022 Jaguar I-Pace (Credit: Jaguar)
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Jaguar I-PACE: Discontinued late 2024, $72,000, 246 mile range.
Hyundai/Genesis
(Credit: Hyundai)
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Hyundai Ioniq 5 (PCMag Editors’ Choice): $41,450, 220 mile range
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Hyundai Ioniq 6: $45,500, 240 mile range
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Genesis GV60: $52,000, 294 mile range
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Genesis GV70: $66,450, 236 mile range
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Genesis GV80: $80,400, 282 mile range
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Hyundai Kona Electric: $33,550, 258 mile range
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Upcoming departures: 2024 Hyundai Kona Electric
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Note, Genesis vehicles are only sold at select dealers in AZ, CA, CO, CT, FL, GA, IL, IN, LA, MA, MD, MN, NC, NJ, NV, NY, PA, SC, TX, UT , VA, WA and WI.
Kia
2024 Kia EV9 (Credit: Emily Forlini)
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Kia Niro: $39,550, 253 mile range
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Kia EV6: $48,700, 310 mile range
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Kia EV9: $54,900, 270 mile range
BMW
BMW i4 (Credit: Emily Forlini)
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i4: $57,900, 256 mile range
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i5: $67,100, 270 mile range
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iX: $87,250, 307-mile range
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i7: $105,700, 318 mile range
Mini Cooper
2024 Mini Cooper SE (Credit: BMW, Mini)
Rolls-Royce
2024 Specter (Credit: Rolls-Royce)
Toyota
Toyota bZ4X (Credit: Emily Forlini)
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Toyota bZ4X: $42,000, 252 mile range
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Upcoming departures: 2025 3-row electric SUV, details unannounced.
Lexus
Lexus RZ (Credit: Emily Forlini)
Subaru
(Credit: Subaru)
Sober
Lucid Air (Credit: Emily Forlini)
Volkswagen
Volkswagen ID.4 (Credit: Emily Forlini)
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ID.4: $38,995, range 209-275 miles
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ID.Buzz: $59,995 240-mile range
Audi
2024 Audi q8 e-Tron (Credit: Emily Forlini)
Porsche
Porsche Taycan (Credit: Emily Forlini)
Fiat
Fiat 500e (Credit: Emily Forlini)
The Fiat 500e convinced me that small, low-range EVs have a place in the US
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About Emily Dreibelbis Forlini
Senior reporter
