Electric vehicle maker Polestar announced that customers in North America can now access an additional 17,800 Tesla Supercharger locations with the launch of a new adapter, according to an Oct. 30 press release.
Owners can order the adapter through a Polestar Service Center, which allows for Polestar EVs equipped with factory-installed Combined Charging System ports to charge at Tesla Supercharger locations equipped with North American Charging Standard plugs.
The addition of the Supercharger sites in North America expands Polestar’s global charging network. Beyond North America, the automaker says it has access to 850,000 charging points across Europe — which includes over 20,000 Tesla Superchargers — and access to Superchargers in more than 200 cities in China.
“Our access to global charging infrastructure is a key differentiator for Polestar,” Polestar CEO Michael Lohscheller said in the release. “Through our partnerships with charging providers, we offer our customers a convenient and unique charging experience: accessible, fast, easy to use and at a competitive price.”
Polestar is also adding North American Tesla Supercharger locations to its vehicle’s infotainment screen, which features Google Maps built-in. It will show drivers available NACS chargers and provide turn-by-turn directions to them.
Tesla made its proprietary NACS port design open to other companies in November 2022. Since then, many automakers have committed to switching from the CCS, also known as SAE J1772, so their customers can gain access to Tesla’s expanding charging network and have more convenient charging options, which could help boost EV sales.
Over the past year, Ford Motor Co., General Motors, Honda Motor Co., Rivian, Kia and Mercedes-Benz have announced plans to switch to Tesla's NACS charge port design for their future EVs. Polestar said in the press release its future cars in North America would adopt the NACS charge port inlet as standard equipment.
Until then, many automakers have turned to offering existing customers adapters as an interim solution. As an example, Volvo Cars, last month said it would make an NACS adapter available to customers for $230. Similarly, General Motors announced in September it would offer its customers an adapter for $225.
Polestar, which is jointly operated by Volvo Cars and its parent company Geely, currently has three models on sale, the Polestar 2, Polestar 3 compact SUV and the Polestar 4 coupé. By 2026, the company plans to have five performance EVs on the market with the addition of the Polestar 5 electric four-door model and Polestar 6 roadster.
The new Polestar 3 is currently being assembled in the U.S. at Volvo Cars’ factory in Ridgeville, South Carolina.
