GM electric vehicles can finally access Tesla Superchargers

General Motors says it has updated the package successful its electrical vehicles truthful its customers tin yet usage Tesla’s Supercharging network.

To summation contiguous access, owners of electrical Chevy, Cadillac, and GMC vehicles will request to acquisition “GM approved” Tesla adapters done each brand’s smartphone app for $225. Future GM vehicles will travel pinch Tesla’s charging larboard natively installed.

The announcement comes much than 15 months aft GM first announced it would adopt Tesla’s EV charging plug for its vehicles. The automaker had primitively said it expected to complete the package coordination pinch Tesla by “early spring” 2024, but production bottlenecks and layoffs astatine Tesla person delayed the process.

GM celebrated the news, noting that its customers will now person entree to 17,800 Tesla Supercharger plugs for the first time. The deficiency of convenient and reliable charging is often cited successful surveys of customers arsenic a awesome obstacle to purchasing an electrical vehicle. And Tesla’s Superchargers are wide seen arsenic among the champion EV charging networks successful the world.

Starting pinch Ford past year, astir each awesome automaker has publically committed to adopting the SAE J3400 accelerated charging plug, besides known arsenic the North American Charging Standard (NACS). The process will statesman pinch a package update truthful non-Tesla vehicles tin “talk” to Tesla’s Superchargers, arsenic good arsenic the usage of an adapter.

GM says it plans connected sourcing its NACS-approved adapters from aggregate suppliers. That way, it’s not conscionable relying connected Tesla, which makes its ain adapters astatine its gigafactory successful Buffalo, New York, wherever accumulation has been slow. Several different companies besides make NACS adapters, including Lectron and Qmerit.

Within the adjacent fewer years, automakers opportunity they will statesman producing EVs pinch the NACS larboard built straight into the vehicle, enabling them to complaint astatine Tesla stations without an adapter.

GM’s determination to waste the adapters, alternatively than springiness them distant for free arsenic immoderate different companies person done, whitethorn ruffle immoderate feathers. Both Ford and Rivian gave retired free adapters for a constricted clip earlier making customers bargain them. But GM said it won’t beryllium offering immoderate complimentary play to its customers.

GM is besides updating its marque apps to let customers to hunt for disposable Superchargers, cheque position status, initiate a charge, and salary for charging sessions. Tesla has said that non-Tesla owners would person to salary a small much to complaint their vehicles than Tesla owners.

Tesla had a caput commencement successful building its ain EV charging network, but different automakers are intent connected catching up. GM is besides progressive successful respective projects to build caller accelerated EV chargers, including pinch EVgo and a consortium of different automakers done the Ionna associated venture.

Following GM, Tesla has said that it will coordinate adjacent pinch Volvo, Polestar, Nissan, and Mercedes-Benz to assistance their customers entree to Superchargers.