It's official – General Motors is joining forces with Tesla. The North American Charging Standard (NACS) will be installed on the auto giant's cars from 2025 onwards. Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, and Buick customers will be able to use the Supercharger network seamlessly, while Tesla will ensure everyone has a great charging experience. Here's their plan.
The floodgates opened after Ford decided to ditch its plans for a Supercharger rivaling network and adopted the NACS. Many expected other brands to follow suit, but the fingers pointed at Rivian or Lucid. However, CEO Mary Barra confirmed via Twitter Spaces that America's next automaker to go with Tesla in the EV era is nonother than General Motors.
The simplified NACS port will be seen on GM-made vehicles from 2025. But the deal with Tesla also gives the GM-branded EV drivers access to the Supercharger network starting next year. Barra said owners would be able to use an adapter but didn't specify if she was referring to Tesla's Magic Dock solution or an adapter provided by the Detroit-based OEM.
Anyhow, it's happening – American automakers are joining forces to fast-track EV adoption by unifying their approach. It's a significant step forward that can strengthen the belief in EVs being a viable alternative to internal combustion engine vehicles. But besides all this, it's interesting to see that all of this is unfolding on Twitter – the social network owned by Tesla's CEO.
Elon Musk told Mary Barra that GM and their customers have his and Tesla's "full support," meaning everyone will be treated equally no matter what battery-electric vehicle they're driving.
"We want to make driving an EV a fantastic experience, whether it is a car made by GM or Tesla," said Tesla's CEO.
Photo: Tesla
Musk briefly pointed out that the NACS encompasses only one connector, which can recognize immediately if the charging is AC or DC. He also praised the Supercharger connector for being simpler and more aesthetically pleasing.
Barra said this doubles access to chargers for the company's existing EV customers, who will be able to choose next year. They can use a charging service provided by companies like Electrify America or take advantage of Superchargers. Some can do this even today, thanks to the Magic Dock solution encompassing a CCS to NACS adapter in the charging stall. But it's yet to be widely available, so some will have to wait until next year.
Barra says adoption of the NACS will only increase from here on out because Tesla, Ford, and GM are now joining forces in leaving CCS behind. It's worth noting, however, that Aptera was the first to announce the implementation of the NACS.
GM's CEO argued that this decision was taken because customers complained about not having access to a "robust charging infrastructure." This decision will address those complaints, believes the executive.
The official Twitter account of General Motors, which has a gold checkmark, also published a message in this regard. The brand said they're teaming up with Tesla to eliminate range anxiety and create "more sustainable journeys." Using the hashtag #EverybodyIn, the automaker underlined that it's not about competition but customer convenience.
Tesla isn't earning money from this directly because it opened the NACS in November 2022. It will, however, gain many new customers for the Supercharging network who might have to pay more than Tesla owners when plugging in for some electrons.
We're teaming up with @tesla to enhance your electric vehicle experience. More charging stations, less range anxiety, more sustainable journeys. It's about your convenience, not our competition. #EverybodyInpic.twitter.com/D4joovLjPh
Car shows on TV and his father's Fiat Tempra may have been Florin's early influences, but nowadays he favors different things, like the power of an F-150 Raptor. He'll never be able to ignore the shape of a Ferrari though, especially a yellow one. Full profile
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