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- General Motors reveals plans for its EVs to use Tesla's Supercharger network starting in 2024 via adapters and software updates, following a similar deal revealed by Ford and Tesla earlier this month.
- GM electric vehicles will also receive Tesla's North American Charging Standard (NACS) ports starting in 2025.
- Tesla's Supercharger network will add to GM's Ultium Charge 360 network, expanding the number of stations available to GM EV owners at a time when the Detroit-based automaker preps a wider EV rollout.
A week after Ford revealed plans to offer Tesla's Supercharger network to its EV owners, while integrating Tesla's North American Charging Standard (NACS) ports into Ford vehicles starting in 2025, General Motors has announced a similar arrangement.
The Detroit-based auto giant unveiled plans to offer charging at 12,000 Tesla Superchargers to owners of its EVs throughout North America starting in 2024, in addition to offering built-in NACS ports in its models starting the following year. The integration of Tesla's Supercharger network will add to more than 134,000 chargers currently available to GM EV owners through the Ultium Charge 360 network composed of chargers from seven providers.
As with Ford, starting in 2024 GM vehicles will need an adapter to use Supercharger cables in addition to some software tweaks, before NACS ports become available as a built-in feature. GM also plans to offer adapters to NACS-enabled vehicles to use CCS fast-chargers.
"Our vision of the all-electric future means producing millions of world-class EVs across categories and price points, while creating an ecosystem that will accelerate mass EV adoption," said GM Chair and CEO Mary Barra.
Stations in Tesla's Supercharger network will appear in GM's vehicle apps and mobile apps as soon as NACS adapters will be introduced in 2024, with the automaker taking steps to fully fold the network into a seamless experience for EV owners.
"This collaboration is a key part of our strategy and an important next step in quickly expanding access to fast chargers for our customers," Barra added. "Not only will it help make the transition to electric vehicles more seamless for our customers, but it could help move the industry toward a single North American charging standard."
Tesla's promise to open up its Supercharger network, first voiced long ago, is now poised to become a reality despite the misgivings of some Tesla owners. However, EV industry watchers had predicted for a while that after a decade of exclusivity Tesla may find it beneficial to make its proprietary standard open to others in a bid to generate income, and to avoid its connector standard from becoming a tiny minority in a sea of CCS chargers.
The Supercharger network, in effect, could go from being an exclusive perk for Tesla owners to a more widely embraced standard as EV adoption rates continue to climb.
Will the availability of Tesla Superchargers to GM EV owners motivate more people to choose EVs, or are other factors like price and usable range more important in the marketplace? Let us know what you think.
Jay Ramey grew up around very strange European cars, and instead of seeking out something reliable and comfortable for his own personal use he has been drawn to the more adventurous side of the dependability spectrum. Despite being followed around by French cars for the past decade, he has somehow been able to avoid Citroën ownership, judging them too commonplace, and is currently looking at cars from the former Czechoslovakia. Jay has been with Autoweek since 2013.
