GM Joins Ford In Adopting Tesla's EV Plug For Supercharger Access
General Motors will adopt Tesla's EV charging connector in North America, the automaker has announced today, promising access to the Supercharger network of public fast chargers for its upcoming electric vehicles. It makes GM the second of the major U.S. automakers to throw in its EV lot with Elon Musk's company after Ford announced in late May that it would use the so-called North American Charging Standard (NACS) connector on future cars, SUVs, and trucks. According to GM, drivers of its electric vehicles will get access to 12,000 Superchargers from early 2024.
Initially, GM says, that will require an adapter. However, starting in 2025, GM's brands will begin using the NACS inlet, allowing them to be plugged in without that adapter being involved. In fact, GM will offer a second adapter for those EVs, allowing them to be used with the CCS port standard commonplace on other public charging networks such as those run by EVgo and Electrify America.
Tesla opened its charge connector standard in 2022
The Supercharger network has long been Tesla's crown jewel as it pushes electrification, and until recently, has been a privilege exclusive to owners of the automaker's own cars. Efforts to open up Supercharger stations to other brands of EV began in the U.S. in February 2022 as part of an expanding global trial by Tesla. However, it depended on Tesla adding CCS connectors — the most commonly-seen port on non-Tesla EVs in the U.S. — to those chargers.
General Motors' — and Ford's — decision to adopt Tesla's connector, NACS, follows Tesla's decision to make it an open standard late in 2022. It has several advantages over CCS, not least that it's more compact and can be easier to plug in and unplug. CCS effectively combines two plugs into a single unit: one for Level 2 charging, such as is commonplace at home, and another for DC fast charging, which sees EV drivers get much speedier charging while at public stations.
For GM EV owners, only upsides
For drivers of GM EVs — which will be progressively launched under all of its nameplates, including Chevrolet, GMC, and Cadillac — it'll mean a significant bump in charging convenience. Though rival networks to Tesla's have continued to grow, patchy uptime and outright broken stations have soured the experience for many electric vehicle owners. It's a challenge that has led some automakers, like Mercedes, to dig into their pockets to build out their own networks rather than leaving it to third-party companies.
GM EVs will integrate Tesla Supercharger locations into their companion apps and dashboard navigation systems. That will allow drivers to locate a station, initiate charging when plugged in, and pay for it through their Ultium Charge 360 Network account. However, drivers will still get access to existing GM partnerships, even if they'll need to make sure they have the correct adapter in their glove compartment before they get there.