Dive Brief:
- General Motors Co. announced the availability of an approved North American Charging Standard DC adapter for its electric vehicles, which provides customers with access to more than 17,800 Tesla Superchargers, the automaker announced Wednesday.
- The adapter can be purchased through GM’s vehicle brand mobile apps for $225. It allows GM EVs equipped with a factory-installed Combined Charging System port to connect to Tesla’s NACS plug.
- The approved NACS DC adapters will first be made available to customers in the U.S., followed by Canada later this year. GM plans on leveraging multiple suppliers to manufacture the adapter, to help ensure “a positive customer experience,” according to the release.
Dive Insight:
The launch of GM’s new charging adapter is intended to help accelerate charging options for its future EV customers, according to the release. Each adapter has been developed to ensure that GM customers can charge their vehicles without issues at Tesla Superchargers.
“GM’s ongoing efforts to help accelerate the expansion of public charging infrastructure is an integral part of our commitment to an all-electric future,” said Wade Sheffer, VP of GM Energy, in the release.
The ability to utilize Tesla's Supercharger network now gives GM customers access to more than 231,800 public Level 2 and DC fast chargers in North America, according to the release.
In June 2023, GM announced it was adopting Tesla’s NACS charging port for its future EVs, beginning in 2025. At the time, the automaker also announced it was integrating the Tesla Supercharger Network into its vehicle and mobile apps, allowing drivers to locate nearby chargers, check station status, initiate a charging session and make payments.
GM also joined the Ionna EV charging joint venture last year, along with BMW Group, Honda Motor Co., Hyundai Motor Co., Kia Corp., Mercedes-Benz and Stellantis. The JV will further expand the charging options for EV customers of each respective automaker.
Ionna, which began operations in February, plans to install a minimum of 30,000 high-powered EV chargers in strategic locations in North America, the first of which are slated to open this year in the U.S., followed by Canada. The network will be accessible to drivers of EVs equipped with either the NACS or CCS ports.
Tesla’s NACS port remained a proprietary design for over a decade until the company made it available to third parties in November 2022, opening up new opportunities for revenues from competitors, as well as federal subsidies.
As the owner of the largest operational charging network, Tesla’s chargers are the most widely used by EV drivers. The company previously said that chargers equipped with NACS plugs outnumbered CCS chargers by two to one in North America.
Other EV charging providers are also offering NACS compatibility. In August, ChargePoint unveiled a new charging connector called the “Omni Port” that combines NACS and CCS charge port designs. It allows drivers of both Tesla and non-Tesla EVs to use the company’s public charging stations.
Along with GM, Ford Motor Co. Mercedes-Benz, Honda, Nissan, Rivian and Volvo have committed to switching to the NACS port on future EVs.
