Future Ford EVs Won't Need Adapters to Be Tesla Supercharger Compatible
Ford announced the move to include NACS connectors in its EVs starting in 2025 during a Twitter Spaces event with Elon Musk.
It's long been said that one of the biggest obstacles to wide EV adoption is charging infrastructure, or the lack thereof. There just aren't enough EV chargers across the country to support everyone making the jump at the moment. There are third party companies such as EVGo and Electrify America that are making headway, but none of them have caught up to Tesla's charging network, which is one of the largest in North America. And until recently, Tesla's network was exclusive to, well, Tesla owners.
0:00 / 0:00
Tesla finally opened up its Superchargers to non-Tesla EVs but requires an adapter for its plug to work with universal charging connectors, which can be unwieldy at times. (If the chargers even work with your non-Tesla vehicle, which we've found isn't guaranteed.) Wouldn't it be nice to have access to the Supercharger network, but leave the goofy plug adapter at home? If you plan on buying a 2025 model year EV from Ford, that could be your future.
Ford announced that in 2025, its EVs will come with the North American Charging Standard (NACS) port built-in. That makes it possible for Ford's electric vehicles to use Tesla Superchargers without the need for an adapter. Additionally, starting in early 2024, owners of the Ford F-150 Lightning, Mach-E, or E-Transit will be able to access Tesla's V3 Superchargers, but those vehicles will still need to utilize an adapter, and the FordPass app for payment. That gives Ford EVs access to over 12,000 Tesla Superchargers across the United States and Canada beyond those chargers serviced by EVGo and Electrify America and other providers.
If you're wondering what's in it for Tesla, there is likely a revenue split agreement with Ford. Not to mention that President Biden's administration has encouraged automakers and charging companies make things more seamless for consumers to encourage faster EV adoption. Not that Tesla cares much about currying favor with the government, but if the company plays ball it could lead to possible tax incentives down the line.
This move begged the question: Will Ford be transitioning away from CCS ports completely to NACS ports, or will its future vehicles will offer both? We reached out to Ford for answers, and a representative responded with: "Ford will start to transition its North American vehicles to NACS in 2025," adding "That option [of having both] is certainly open to us however we have no specifics to share today." The phrasing that the automaker is "transitioning" to NACS seemed to suggest that it may leave CCS by the wayside, but Ford's own CEO Jim Farley later confirmed that the automaker is going full-on NACS in an interview with CNBC's Squawk Box. Farley added that the NACS move will necessitate adapters to work with other chargers, including CCS.
Andrew Beckford’s passion for cars started as a middle schooler when his friend Richie explained how an internal combustion engine works. He was bitten by the bug and the rest, as they say, is history. He dug deep into the tuner scene and eventually wrote for Turbo Magazine, Import Tuner, Super Street. He covered car shows, feature builds, and reviewed racing games for those magazines in addition to covering motorsports including Formula Drift, Indy Car, and F1 for his personal blog. Eventually Beckford joined MotorTrend to cover the daily automotive news beat. Besides being a gearhead, Beckford has been a gamer since the ’80s and is a huge fan of the arcade racing games of the ’90s like Daytona USA, SEGA Rally, and Ridge Racer. Beckford’s a movie buff as well, especially comic book films from DC and Marvel. When car culture crosses over with gaming and entertainment, rest assured Beckford is aware of it. In addition to serving as a consultant on a “triple A” racing titles, he’s reviewed major racing games such as Forza Motorsport, Need for Speed, Gran Turismo, F1, and more. He’s also interviewed blockbuster directors including Steven Caple Jr. (Transformers: Rise of the Beasts) and Neill Blomkamp (Gran Turismo). His biggest profile to date was with Robert Downey Jr. on his love affair with cars and his show Downey’s Dream Cars on MAX. Beckford’s profile of Downey Jr. was the first print cover story written by an African American in MotorTrend’s history. Along with KJ Jones, Andrew Beckford also heads up MotorTrend’s celebration of Black History Month by spotlighting diverse voices in the automotive industry and motorsports. Beckford’s first car was a 1982 Nissan Stanza affectionately named “Stanley” by his late mother.
Read More
