In February, Tesla will start opening its 12,000-strong Supercharger network of DC fast chargers to drivers of EVs made by Ford and GM, Tesla Design Manager for Charging Infrastructure Jennifer Pretare mentioned during a city planning meeting in Farr West City, UT.
In May, Ford became the first rival manufacturer to announce an agreement with Tesla to make its charging network available to its EV owners, by adapting the North American Charging Standard (NACS) charging port. GM followed suit soon after in June.
Many more automakers have since struck a similar agreement with Tesla. The latest are Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche and Scout Motors, which announced Dec. 19 their planned implementation of the NACS, starting in 2025.
“The first company, Ford, and then GM are starting in February of 2024, once they have the charge port and software to interface with our charging stations, they will actually be open to those vehicles,” Pretare said during the meeting. “We’re opening up to most of the other car manufacturers in stages, just to make sure, you know, we don’t get swamped all at once.”
SAE International, formerly the Society of Automotive Engineers, also recently confirmed Tesla’s NACS as a standard EV connector.
The U.S. lags behind China and some European countries when it comes to EV adoption. A key reason is a lack of rapid charging infrastructure, outside of Tesla’s Supercharger network.
In a statement, the U.S. Joint Office of Energy and Transportation said confirming Tesla’s NACS as a standard EV connector “ensures that any vehicle or charging equipment supplier or manufacturer will be able to use, manufacture or deploy the connector and expands charging access for current and future EV drivers across the country.”
