More Automakers to Use Tesla Superchargers. Here's What You Need to Know.

There are at least a few reasons: In order to qualify for a slice of the $7.5 billion earmarked for EV charging network expansion in the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which was designed to address climate change, healthcare, and taxes, Tesla has said it will open up 7,500 chargers from its Supercharger and Destination Charger network to non-Tesla vehicles by the end of 2024, a project that is already in progress. Tesla also benefits when other vehicles pay to use its Superchargers, and experts say charging could become an important source of income for the automaker. On its website, Tesla says that it has “always been our ambition to open the Supercharger network to non-Tesla EVs, and by doing so, encourage more drivers to go electric,” and that the company aims to eventually open all Superchargers to all EVs.

Any non-Tesla EV except for the Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV (which use an incompatible plug standard called CHAdeMO) can currently charge at one of the limited number of Tesla Superchargers that offers a Magic Dock adapter. The Magic Dock enables EVs with a Combined Charging Standard (CCS) plug (most non-Tesla vehicles) to use Tesla’s chargers, which are designed for its North American Charging Standard (NACS) plugs. Tesla says more Magic Docks may be installed at more Superchargers in the future, although the number of chargers hasn’t grown significantly since the initial announcement earlier this year. Additionally, Magic Dock users must use the Tesla app instead of enjoying the seamless experience of simply plugging in for payment.

But several automakers recently announced that owners of their EVs will have access to Tesla’s network of 12,000 Superchargers beginning next year. They have also announced that they will adopt Tesla’s NACS charging standard on their upcoming models, which will allow them to plug in at many newer Superchargers even without the Magic Dock, giving owners more options when they’re far from home.

• Ford says that the current F-150 Lightning, Mustang Mach-E, and E-Transit will be able to plug into Tesla Superchargers using an adapter starting in spring 2024 and that new EVs will come with NACS charging ports starting in 2025.

• General Motors (parent company of Cadillac, Chevrolet, Buick, and GMC) says that owners of GM EVs will be able to access 12,000 Tesla Superchargers “and growing” starting in early 2024 using an adapter. New vehicles will get built-in NACS charging ports starting in 2025.

• Nissan says that it will adopt NACS for the Ariya and future EV models starting in 2025. For 2024, Ariya owners will get a NACS adapter. Unlike the Leaf, the current Ariya already has a CCS charging port.

• Mercedes-Benz says that existing EVs will be able to plug into a Supercharger using an adapter starting in 2024, while NACS ports will be installed on new cars starting in 2025. In addition, the automaker is building its own charging stations that will feature NACS and CCS plugs and be open to all types of EVs.

• Polestar, which along with Volvo is owned by Geely, says existing vehicles will be able to use adapters to plug into Superchargers in “mid-2024,” while new Polestar vehicles sold in 2025 will have NACS ports installed by default, and will get a CCS adapter to use existing CCS charging infrastructure.

• Rivian says an adapter will allow the current R1T and R1S to plug in at Superchargers “as early as spring 2024,” while 2025 and newer vehicles will get NACS charging ports built in.

• Volvo says that drivers of XC40 and C40 Recharge vehicles and 2024 EX30 and EX90 vehicles will be able to use Tesla Superchargers using an adapter in the first half of 2024, while NACS ports will be installed by default in 2025.

No. For automakers that are partnering with Tesla, only 12,000 of Tesla’s more than 17,000 Supercharger ports will be available to vehicles with NACS ports or adapters. According to automakers and industry analysts, these will be V3 Superchargers, which were installed in 2019 or later. Older Superchargers will not work with non-Tesla vehicles. Compatibility with Tesla’s upcoming V4 Supercharger is not yet known.

According to several of the automakers who are partnering with Tesla, a realistic timeline is between May and June of 2024. Ford says that Tesla is the one responsible for developing the necessary NACS-to-CCS adapters. Tesla doesn’t respond to questions from the media, but the company has often missed expected release dates for new products, including the new Tesla Roadster and Cybertruck.

In addition to needing the adapter, automakers will have to write new software that allows non-Tesla vehicles to work with the Supercharger software. “You’re going to have a software update in most of these vehicles in order to have the vehicle communicate with the Superchargers,” says Sam Abuelsamid, principal research analyst at consulting firm Guidehouse Insights.

In addition to their placement in high-traffic areas, Tesla chargers are also extremely easy to use. “When you plug into a Supercharger you don’t have to swipe a card, there’s no screen—you just plug it in and it starts charging, and it charges your account,” Abuelsamid says. But there’s no guarantee that non-Tesla owners will have such a seamless experience. Owners of non-Teslas will have to either use the Tesla app or wait for a software update that allows for vehicles to automatically start charging as soon as they’re plugged in.

There could also be compatibility issues. Today, Superchargers need to communicate with Teslas only to initiate charging and process payments. But when those Superchargers open up to EVs from other automakers, they will have to communicate with software and hardware from various non-Tesla brands. “A big part of the reason Tesla’s network was so reliable is that it was a closed system that Tesla completely controlled,” says Chris Harto, CR’s senior energy policy analyst.

At the limited number of Magic Dock-equipped Superchargers we have already tried out, CR had no issues with the app, which automatically releases the CCS adapter attached to the NACS plug. But we also found a major physical issue: All Teslas have their charging ports in the same place—on the driver-side rear corner. But in vehicles that have ports in different spots, the cord might not reach unless the driver parks awkwardly.

There are two potential costs here: The price of an adapter, and the cost of charging. Because adapters aren’t available yet, we don’t know how much they’ll cost or whether they might be included in the cost of a new vehicle. (Tesla charges $175 for an adapter that allows Teslas to charge at CCS stations, which may offer a clue.)

As far as the cost of charging is concerned, rates differ depending on station and time of day. Currently, charging a non-Tesla with a Supercharger is one of the most expensive fast-charging options per kilowatt-hour: The currently available spots we’ve charged at ranged from 48 to 55 cents per kWh. Most are 50 cents per kWh, which is similar to Electrify America’s 48 cents per kWh non-subscription price. Tesla stations will drop to 40 cents per kWh with a $13 per month membership. Idle fees, which are charged if the car is left alone at the charger after being fully charged, are $1 per minute.

It depends on the car, but in our tests of non-Tesla vehicles at a few of the small number of Magic Dock-equipped Superchargers already out there, we found that non-Tesla EVs charged at a slower rate at Superchargers than they are claimed to be capable of charging at other DC fast chargers. For example, the Mercedes-Benz EQE we charged never went above 76 kilowatts, even though it is rated for 170 kW. That means it would take more than twice as long—over 45 minutes—to charge from 20 percent to 80 percent at a Supercharger as it would with another DC fast charger.

Because Tesla chargers are rated at 480 volts, vehicles with 800-volt charging infrastructure won’t be able to charge as fast as they could at chargers designed for them. These vehicles include the Audi E-Tron GT, Genesis GV60, Electrified GV70 and Electrified G80, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6, Lucid Air, and Porsche Taycan. The Lucid Air we tested was limited to a 49-kW rate, which meant it would take well over an hour to add 200 miles of range, instead of the 12 minutes Lucid claims under ideal conditions at a different charger.

It is unknown how this will affect upcoming GM models like the Chevrolet Silverado EV, which need 800 volts to meet charging claims. However, there aren’t as many 800-volt fast chargers out there as there are Superchargers, so owners of 800-volt-equipped vehicles will still benefit from the increased charger availability.

As hundreds of thousands of EVs gain access to Superchargers, Tesla owners may find themselves waiting in longer lines. “It does limit the competitive advantage on charging for Tesla owners,” Harto says.

There’s been little friction in countries where Tesla Superchargers already offer CCS access, says Shelley Francis, DrPH, co-founder and managing partner of EVNoire, an organization that advises businesses and governments on EV adoption, and co-founder of EVHybridNoire, which represents diverse EV drivers and enthusiasts.

“In speaking to our members in the U.S. who are Tesla drivers, it’s definitely a concern,” she says. “However, in speaking to members and Tesla drivers in Europe where CCS ports are open to other brands, it didn’t seem to present the disruption that many thought would come.”

Both ChargePoint and Electrify America announced they are adding NACS chargers to their stations in the future, as well, so current Tesla owners will have more stations to choose from. That will be a benefit to them only if those charging companies get their acts together and improve reliability, Abuelsamid says. “Hopefully the competition from Tesla will incentivize those other companies to do a better job,” he says.

So far, Audi, BMW, Genesis, Hyundai, Kia, Lucid, Nissan, Stellantis (parent company of Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Maserati, and Ram), and Volkswagen have not made any announcements around Supercharger compatibility, but Harto says he wouldn’t be surprised if they do in the near future. “It does seem like momentum is on the side of NACS,” he says.

BMW, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, and Stellantis (parent company of Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, and Ram) announced that they plan to open 30,000 DC fast chargers across the U.S. and Canada as part of a joint venture. These chargers will be open to all EVs, regardless of manufacturer.

The first of these chargers will open in the U.S. in the summer of 2024. The automakers involved with the project say that they will be located in high-traffic areas, feature multiple chargers per station, and have both NACS and CCS chargers available. Like Tesla’s Superchargers, they will be designed to work reliably and without apps or payment cards.

Although buying a car with a built-in NACS port will get you access to some Tesla chargers without an adapter, CCS isn’t going away anytime soon. “It seems like CCS will still be supported for a good while on most charging networks that already supported it,” says Harto. “Most new, non-Tesla charging infrastructure seems like it will now have both ports.”

Regardless of manufacturer, Tesla’s brand recognition could definitely rub off on vehicles with Supercharger access, says Francis. “The perceived simplicity of the Tesla charging network could be a great selling point for all brands utilizing the NACS,” she says.